Drawing on creativity association theory, a field experiment and three laboratory experiments were conducted to explore the mechanism and boundary conditions underlying the effect of task attributes on consumers’AI type preferences (generic vs. domain-specific AI). The findings showed that compared to regular tasks, creative tasks heighten consumers ‘need for inspiration, which in turn increases their preference for generic AI which is characterized by broader data sources and wider applicability. Subjective knowledge moderates the effect of task attributes on AI type preferences, and the need for inspiration plays a moderating mediating role. When consumers’ subjective knowledge is high, the effect of task attributes on AI type preferences through the need for inspiration is no longer significant.