Authenticity Over Automation: How AI-Mediated Sustainability Communication Shapes Trust and Green Purchase Intention

Purpose
Drawing on Signalling Theory and Trust Theory, the research explores how consumers' perceptions of AI involvement in sustainability communication shape perceived authenticity, green brand trust, and green purchase intention. It also investigates whether perceived greenwashing risk weakens or strengthens these relationships.
Design/Methodology/Approach
Data were collected from 379 UK-based e-commerce consumers who had recently purchased eco-labelled or sustainability-positioned products. The proposed model was examined using Partial Least Squares Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), incorporating mediation and moderation analyses with bootstrapping procedures.
Findings
The results indicate that perceived AI-mediated sustainability communication is positively associated with perceived authenticity, which in turn is positively related to Green Brand Trust. Green Brand Trust mediates the relationship between perceived authenticity and Green Purchase intention. Furthermore, Perceived Greenwashing Risk weakens the positive association between Green Brand Trust and Green Purchase Intention, indicating that the effectiveness of trust-based relationships varies according to consumers' scepticism toward sustainability claims.
Originality/Value
Rather than treating sustainability communication as a purely informational input, this study conceptualizes it as a process of signal interpretation in which consumers infer credibility and intent under conditions of information asymmetry. The findings extend existing green marketing and trust literature by demonstrating how perceived AI involvement functions as a contextual signalling cue that shapes authenticity judgements and by identifying perceived greenwashing risk as a factor that limits the effectiveness of trust-based sustainability communication.
Implications
The analysis demonstrates that investments in AI-enabled sustainability communication do not automatically lead to enhanced consumer responses. Instead, firms must ensure that such communication supports perceptions of authenticity and trust, particularly in markets characterized by heightened concerns about greenwashing. The findings further suggest that transparent and credible communication is essential for strengthening consumer trust and encouraging green purchase intention.