Adverse impacts of revealing the presence of “Artificial Intelligence (AI)” technology in product and service descriptions on purchase intentions: the mediating role of emotional trust and the moderating role of perceived risk

ABSTRACT

While the presence of the term “Artificial Intelligence (AI)” in a product description may be viewed as a sign of that product having advanced capabilities and features, it may also trigger fear and concern among consumers. Therefore, this study explores the impact of inclusion (vs. exclusion) of the “Artificial Intelligence” term in goods and service descriptions on consumers’ purchase intentions. It also examines the mediating role of emotional trust and the moderating role of perceived product risk in this relationship. We conducted six experiments to investigate these relationships. The data were analyzed using T-tests and Hayes Process Macro Models 4 and 7. The findings of the study indicated that the inclusion of the “Artificial Intelligence” term in descriptions of products and services decreases purchase intention, and that emotional trust mediates this relationship. Findings further suggested that the negative mediating effect of emotional trust on the impact of AI term on purchase intention was stronger for high-risk products, compared to low-risk products. These findings provide valuable insights for both academia and practitioners, leading them to develop more effective and appealing strategies in the applications of AI.

摘要

虽然“人工智能”一词出现在产品描述中可能被视为该产品具有先进功能的标志,但它也可能引发消费者的恐惧和担忧. 因此,本研究探讨了商品和服务描述中“人工智能”一词的包含(与排除)对消费者购买意愿的影响. 它还考察了情感信任的中介作用和感知产品风险在这种关系中的调节作用. 我们进行了六个实验来研究这些关系. 使用T检验和Hayes过程宏观模型4和7对数据进行分析. 研究结果表明,在产品和服务的描述中加入“人工智能”一词会降低购买意愿,而情感信任会调节这种关系. 研究结果进一步表明,与低风险产品相比,高风险产品的情感信任对人工智能术语对购买意愿影响的负面中介作用更强. 这些发现为学术界和从业者提供了宝贵的见解,使他们能够在人工智能的应用中制定更有效、更具吸引力的策略.

KEYWORDS:

• AI
• Artificial Intelligence
• emotional trust
• purchase intention
• perceived risk

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).