A STUDY ON GENERATIONAL PERCEPTIONS OF AI-POWERED DIGITAL MARKETING: A COMPARISON OF MILLENNIALS AND GEN Z

Abstract

This work explores generational differences in perceptions of AI-powered digital marketing, focusing on Millennials and Generation Z—two key consumer segments in today’s digital economy. A structured questionnaire was administered to 200 respondents (100 from each generation), measuring four key variables: openness to AI marketing, trust in AI tools, privacy concerns, and perceived usefulness. Descriptive statistics were utilized to analyze the data, Pearson correlation, and one-way ANOVA.The findings reveal that Generation Z exhibits significantly higher openness to AI marketing (M = 4.12) compared to Millennials (M = 3.78), with ANOVA results confirming a statistically significant difference (F = 11.76, p = 0.001). Similarly, trust in AI tools (F = 8.65, p = 0.004), privacy concerns (F = 16.02, p = 0.000), and perceived usefulness (F = 4.39, p = 0.037) also differed significantly between the groups. Additionally, correlation analysis showed that openness to AI and perceived utility (r = 0.70) and trust in AI and usefulness (r = 0.65) were strongly positively correlated, whereas privacy concerns had moderately negative correlations with every other measure. These results suggest that while Gen Z is more receptive to AI in marketing, they also exhibit heightened sensitivity to data privacy. The findings underscore the importance for marketers to develop generationally nuanced strategies that balance innovation with transparency and trust.