The “ChatGPT Effect”? Exploring AI-Assisted Creative Process in Strategic Communication

This study examines how AI assistance shapes creative brief writing among strategic communication students. In a between-subject experiment (N = 83), we compare AI-assisted and non-AI-assisted groups across writing quality, interaction patterns, cognitive engagement, self-efficacy, and agency attribution. Quantitative and qualitative analyses reveal a clear “ChatGPT Effect”: AI improved quality, appropriateness, and articulateness, with modest gains in originality. Students used AI either to delegate the task or scaffold sections. AI lowered cognitive engagement but increased task-specific self-efficacy. Agency attribution was mixed across conditions, though non-AI writers claimed more credit. Findings show how AI reshapes performance and perceptions in the advertising process.