International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

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Volume 8 Issue 5
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Authenticity, Trust And Emotional Connection Toward AI vs. Human Influencers Among Adults Aged 40 Years And Above

Author(s) Mr. Shine Sebastian Joseph, Prof. Dr. Shivanand Pawar
Country India
Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI)–generated influencers increasingly mimic human identity and communication, yet their relational reception among adults aged 40 years and above remains understudied. Aim: To compare authenticity, trust, and emotional connection toward AI and human influencers and examine digital literacy, gender, and relationships among these evaluations. Methods: A cross-sectional, within-participant survey enrolled 100 adults aged 40–78 years (51 women, 49 men) by convenience sampling. Respondents evaluated both influencer types using researcher-developed five-item composites. Analyses included paired-samples t-tests, Pearson correlations, a participant-clustered regression, gender comparisons, and a one-sided midpoint test. Results: Human influencers scored higher in authenticity (3.480 vs. 2.864), trust (3.416 vs. 2.686), and emotional connection (3.228 vs. 2.636); all paired p values were < .001. Authenticity correlated positively with trust (human r = .493; AI r = .687), and trust with emotional connection (human r = .585; AI r = .676). The joint regression model explained 60.9% of observed emotional-connection variance, although influencer type was nonsignificant after adjustment. Digital literacy was associated with AI acceptance, not H4 perception outcomes. AI emotional connection was below the neutral midpoint; gender hypotheses were unsupported. Conclusion: Human influencers received stronger relational evaluations, whereas authenticity and trust were important correlates across influencer types. Convenience sampling and limitations of some scales warrant caution.
Keywords Artificial Intelligence Influencers, Human Influencers, Perceived Authenticity, Trust, Emotional Connection, Digital Literacy, Older Adults
Field Sociology > Philosophy / Psychology / Religion
Published In Volume 8, Issue 5, September-October 2026
Published On 2026-10-22
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CrossRef DOI prefix of IJFMR is 10.36948/ijfmr

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