Paper Type

Short

Paper Number

PACIS2026-1681

Description

With generative AI increasingly embedded across user-generated content platforms, understanding community reactions to the roles of AI within animation, comics, and games (ACG) Ecosystems have emerged as a critical research imperative. This study examines how AI roles (AI-assisted, AI-dominated) on ACG platforms and fandom perceived platform AI usage intentionality (labour exploitation vs. labour empowerment) shape perceived authenticity, pickiness, and eWOM. A 3×2 between-subjects experiment with 600 active 2D game players was conducted. We expected that AI augmentation preserves authenticity relative to automation, while empowerment attributions moderate the authenticity-pickiness relationship. Perceived authenticity fully mediates paths to pickiness and eWOM. Our findings are expected to extend the roles of the AI framework by introducing platform intentionality as an attribution moderator, and unpack authenticity’s role in socio-technical resistance, i.e., pickiness and eWOM. We expect to provide implications for platforms to prioritize augmentation framing and ethical disclosure to avoid fandom pickiness and negative eWOM.

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Jul 5th, 12:00 AM

Understanding the Roles of Artificial Intelligence and Fandom Responses to AI-Generated IP Content in ACG Communities

With generative AI increasingly embedded across user-generated content platforms, understanding community reactions to the roles of AI within animation, comics, and games (ACG) Ecosystems have emerged as a critical research imperative. This study examines how AI roles (AI-assisted, AI-dominated) on ACG platforms and fandom perceived platform AI usage intentionality (labour exploitation vs. labour empowerment) shape perceived authenticity, pickiness, and eWOM. A 3×2 between-subjects experiment with 600 active 2D game players was conducted. We expected that AI augmentation preserves authenticity relative to automation, while empowerment attributions moderate the authenticity-pickiness relationship. Perceived authenticity fully mediates paths to pickiness and eWOM. Our findings are expected to extend the roles of the AI framework by introducing platform intentionality as an attribution moderator, and unpack authenticity’s role in socio-technical resistance, i.e., pickiness and eWOM. We expect to provide implications for platforms to prioritize augmentation framing and ethical disclosure to avoid fandom pickiness and negative eWOM.