The Virtual Influencer Thinks of Its Existence, Therefore It Is: The Interaction of Ontological Narratives, AI Autonomy Cue, and Pre-existing Attitudes

Jiwon Kim (Ph.D student), Joowon Lee (M.A. student), Hanyoung Kim (Ph.D. Alum), Jeong-Yeob Han, and Ja Kyung Seo (Ph.D. Alum), “The Virtual Influencer Thinks of Its Existence, Therefore It Is: The Interaction of Ontological Narratives, AI Autonomy Cue, and Pre-existing Attitudes”. Paper accepted to the 2026 American Academy of Advertising Annual Conference, Austin, March 26-29, 2026. Abstract: Virtual influencers have become prominent actors in advertising, with their effectiveness largely examined through human-likeness. Recognizing that prior research on anthropomorphism in this context has predominantly focused on visual resemblance, this study extends the literature by examining ontological narratives as uniquely human-like signals. Specifically, it investigates how the level of ontological narrative (less vs. more) interacts with AI autonomy cues (absent vs. present) and audiences’ pre-existing attitudes towards virtual influencers to shape likability of virtual influencers through perceived anthropomorphism. Results from an experiment show that among participants with favorable prior attitudes, more ontological narratives increased perceived anthropomorphism only when complete AI autonomy was disclosed, but not when it was absent. Moreover, perceived anthropomorphism enhanced likability toward the virtual influencer, mediating the effects of the three-way interaction. These findings expand discourse on virtual influencer research by uncovering the interplay of message, source, and audience orientation, thereby contributing to effective advertising strategies in virtual influencer marketing.