THE “DEVIL EFFECT”

CSU | RESEARCH METHODOLOGY IN THE ARTS | 2026

Artificial intelligence has entered the creative process not quietly, but symbolically carrying with it a set of assumptions about authorship, authenticity, and value. Within advertising design, where perception is not simply an outcome but the product itself, this shift introduces a critical rupture: the work itself has not necessarily changed, but the meaning attached to the work has.

This study examines what is termed the “Devil Effect”—a negative halo effect in which the perceived involvement of artificial intelligence diminishes audience evaluations of creativity, artistic value, and brand trust, regardless of the work’s objective quality. While AI tools are increasingly embedded within professional creative workflows, they are also culturally encoded as threats to originality and human expression. This creates a paradox: the same technology expanding creative capability may simultaneously erode perceived legitimacy.

The central research problem is therefore not technological—it is perceptual. How does the disclosure or assumption of AI involvement reshape how audiences interpret creative work? And what consequences does this have for brands, creative professionals, and the broader creative economy? This study addresses these questions through a mixed-methods research design combining experimental manipulation and survey-based measurement. By isolating AI disclosure as a perceptual variable, the research seeks to uncover not only what is happening, but why it is happening, how it operates, and for whom it matters.