Bridging The Social Gap: AI-Driven Rainbow Consumerism and Its Effect on Perceptions and Purchasing Behavior Towards the Third Gender

This study investigates how AI-Driven Rainbow Consumerism (AW) can help bridge the social gap by examining its effect on Perceptions (IB) and subsequent Purchasing Behaviour (CB) towards the Third Gender in the context of India's evolving social landscape. Using a quantitative research methodology, data were collected from a sample of 323 respondents and analysed using R-based Causal Mediation Analysis to test the hypothesised relationships. The findings demonstrate a highly significant indirect effect of AI-Driven Awareness on Purchasing Behaviour through improved Perceptions, with the Proportion Mediated reaching 85.54% (ACME = 0.3108, p < 2e-16), while the direct effect was non-significant, confirming that positive perception acts as the crucial mechanism. In conclusion, the research establishes that for AI-enabled inclusive marketing to be effective in driving consumer action, it must first and foremost be utilised to genuinely shift public attitudes, thus validating AI-Driven Rainbow Consumerism as a powerful tool for promoting social acceptance and equality for the Third Gender community.