When time meets technology: how AI disclosure shapes the persuasive power of counterfactual and future narratives in environmental communication

In AI-mediated tourism contexts, where decision-making often relies on imagining temporally distant and scenario-based experiences, environmental behavior is highly responsive to narrative communication. Drawing on knowledge-fitting theory, this study examines how AI disclosure (presence vs. absence) and temporal narratives (counterfactual vs. episodic future) jointly influence tourists’ pro-environmental behavioral intentions. Across three experiments (two scenario-based studies and one field data collection), results reveal a significant interaction: episodic future narratives are more persuasive only when AI is not disclosed, whereas AI disclosure reduces differences between narrative types by shifting individuals toward coherence-based evaluation. Perceived plausibility mediates these effects, while message framing further shapes this evaluative process. This study extends knowledge-fitting theory to digital tourism contexts by demonstrating that AI disclosure reshapes how narrative information is evaluated, rather than simply strengthening or weakening specific narrative strategies. The findings offer practical insights for aligning narrative design with AI disclosure in sustainability communication.