Honors Projects

Abstract

Artificial intelligence has taken the world by storm, and its presence in our lives only continues to grow. Not only has it changed the way we live and interact with technology, but it has also fundamentally changed how businesses reach customers, particularly in marketing. It now powers the algorithms, predictions, and personalized experiences that shape nearly every digital interaction we have as consumers, including the videos we see on TikTok, the products that are recommended to us on Amazon, and the weirdly accurate ads that pop up across different platforms. These AI-powered systems are constantly learning from tiny behaviors we don’t even notice, like how long we pause on a post or which products we hover over. This level of customization has brought up a lot of questions and a growing sense of discomfort among consumers. The omnipresence of AI in our digital consumer experience has raised ethical concerns and questions regarding privacy and when personalization crosses the line and becomes a little too personal. This research synthesizes existing literature on AI-powered marketing to explore its ethical boundaries, specifically examining when personalization enhances the consumer experience versus when it becomes invasive and creates discomfort. In particular, this study focuses on the role of algorithms, predictive personalization, and consumer data collection, and aims to provide insights and recommendations for how marketers can leverage AI-driven personalization in ways that remain effective while maintaining ethical standards and consumer trust.

Department

Marketing

Major

Marketing

Second Major

Business Analytics and Intelligence

First Advisor

Kathryn Phillips

First Advisor Department

Marketing

Second Advisor

Michael Good

Second Advisor Department

Accounting and Management Information Systems

Third Advisor

Jodi Devine

Publication Date

Spring 4-27-2026

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