The Impact of AI-Generated Visual Images on Green Attitudes and Citizenship Behaviors Among Hotel Guests: A Stimulus-Based Analysis

Prior research focused mainly on exploring the implementations of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in efficient and eco-friendly hotel operations, with very limited studies investigating the vast capabilities of AI, such as AI-generated visual information, in shaping green attitudes and behaviors among hotel guests. Therefore, this study addresses such a gap testing the potential contributions of AI-generated visual images to hotel guests’ eco-friendly attitudes and behaviors. Explicitly, the study adopts a stimulus-based approach to examine the effects of the perceived persuasiveness of AI-generated stimulating images on guests’ green attitudes, willingness to sacrifice for the environment, and green citizenship. Moreover, it investigates the perceived authenticity of AI-generated visual information as a moderator of these linkages. A stimulus-based questionnaire was developed and administered among hotel guests. The survey was Web-based and included four AI-generated images encouraging eco-friendly attitudes and behaviors, followed by scales measuring the study constructs. The sample of the study included 428 participants who were enlisted using a convenience sampling technique. Data analysis included the performance of a PLS-SEM using Smart PLS 3.0 to test the postulated hypotheses. The findings of the study reveal that AI-generated visuals positively contributed to guests’ attitudes, willingness to sacrifice for the environment, and green citizenship behaviors. The perceived authenticity of the generated visuals also exerted a moderating effect on the examined linkages. Overall, this research fills a gap in knowledge and provides practical implications that support more sustainable attitudes and behaviors among hotel guests.