Uncovering post-adoption usage of AI-based voice assistants: a technology affordance lens using a mixed-methods approach

ABSTRACT

Despite the growing proliferation of AI-based voice assistants in our daily lives, how different functions of AI-based voice assistants affect users’ post-adoption usage behaviours remains an under-investigated research question. This study explores the nature and causation of post-adoption usage behaviours (effective utilisation after initial adoption or diffusion) within the context of AI-based voice assistants. Using a sequential mixed-methods research design, we first identify the post-adoption usage behaviours of AI-based voice assistants as a multidimensional concept comprised of routine use and extended use, then develop a contextualised model by revealing technology-specific antecedents, cognitive beliefs, and boundary conditions. By integrating results from the quantitative study and qualitative study, we find that three technology affordances (i.e., anthropomorphism affordance, interactivity affordance, and personalisation affordance) are salient antecedents of two cognitive beliefs, which further affect users’ routine use and extended use of AI-based voice assistants. Additionally, we uncover use frequency as a boundary condition and obtain a complementary view of post-adoption usage of AI-based voice assistants. The empirical research findings can extend the post-adoption IS usage literature and provide practical implications for crafting user-centred functionalities to facilitate effective human-AI interactions.

KEYWORDS:

• Post-adoption IS usage
• technology affordance
• trust
• privacy concerns
• mixed-methods

Acknowledgements

We want to thank for the research sponsorship received by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (72271069), the Ministry of Education of Humanities and Social Science Project (22YJA630070), the Philosophy and Social Sciences of Heilongjiang Province (22GLB107), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (D5000240050), the Government of Spain and the European Regional Development Fund (European Union) (Research Projects PID2021-124725NB-I00, PID2021-124396NB-I00, and TED2021-130104B-I00).

Disclosure statement

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

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/0960085X.2024.2363322.

Notes

1. https://www.statista.com/topics/5572/virtual-assistants/#topicHeader_wrapper

2. For instance, innovative use is characterised with exploration, referring to the application of technology in novel ways, contexts or domains, which cannot happen easily in private contexts of daily use since such use cases are based on the expertise of AI technology and programming skills, which go beyond normal level of broad users. Thus, innovative use seems not suited in the context of AI-based voice assistants.

3. We divided interviewees with use frequency of less than once a week, once a week or several times a week into the high frequency group, and divide interviewees with use frequency of once a day or several times a day into low frequency group.

4. The longitudinal multi-round research design is fertile for measuring individual’s extended use behaviour since it is ideal for tracking actual events over time and compensates for the limitation of the cross-sectional survey data by minimising recall bias (Addas & Pinsonneault, 2018; Hsieh & Wang, 2007; Limayem et al., 2007).

5. We collected and aggregated feedbacks of open-ended questions of routine use. Regarding the open-question of routine use, participants enumerate their regularly used functions like task setting, information query, searching from search engines and communication. For instance, 54.72% of routine use behaviours centred on task-setting activities, like setting alarm and reminders, sending messages, and making a phone call.

6. Regarding the open-question of extended use, the advanced activities, i.e., getting a customised recommendation, buying something, decision-making aiding, and controlling other smart devices, were frequently mentioned by participants.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Zhen Shao

Zhen Shao is an Associate Professor of Information Systems (IS) in the Department of Management Science and Engineering at the School of Management, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China. Her research primarily focuses on enterprise information systems assimilation, digital innovation, and the sharing economy. Her work has been published in leading IS journals, including the European Journal of Information Systems, Information Systems Journal, Information & Management, Decision Support Systems, International Journal of Information Management, Journal of Enterprise Information Management, Electronic Commerce and Research Applications, Internet Research, Behaviour & Information Technology, Computers in Human Behavior, and Industrial Management & Data Systems, and presented at leading conferences including the INFORMS Annual Conference, International Conference on Information Systems, Americas Conference on Information Systems, the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, and the Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems.

Jing Zhang

Jing Zhang is a Ph.D. Candidate of IS at the School of Management, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China. Her research interests cover human-AI interaction, digital trust, and digital innovation. She has published articles in the European Journal of Information Systems, Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, and the International Conference on Information Systems.

Lin Zhang

Lin Zhang is an Associate Professor of IS at the School of Management, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, China. His research focuses on AI adoption, gamification in the electronic and mobile business, trust in the sharing economy, and digital innovation. He has published articles in journals such as Information & Management, Decision Support Systems, Internet Research, Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, and Industrial Management & Data Systems.

Jose Benitez

Jose Benitez is a Professor of IS, Department Chair of Information Systems and Business Analytics, and the Bridgestone Endowed Chair in International Business at the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA. His research interests cover the impact of digitalization on companies and individuals and the development of theory and quantitative research methods in IS research. His research has been published in about 55 papers in leading journals including MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, Journal of Operations Management, Journal of Management Information Systems, Journal of the Association for Information Systems, European Journal of Information Systems, Journal of Information Technology, Information & Management, Decision Support Systems, Decision Sciences, and Journal of Business Research. Jose was recognized as an Association for Information Systems (AIS) Distinguished Member Cum Laude in July 2021 and received the AIS Sandra Slaughter Service Award in December 2022. He currently serves as a Senior Editor of the European Journal of Information Systems, Information & Management, and Decision Support Systems and as an Associate Editor of the Journal of the Association for Information Systems. He also serves as an Editorial Review Board member for Information Systems Research. In addition, Jose has served as a Guest Editor of Decision Sciences. His teaching interests and instructional expertise cover managing digital business transformation, digital innovation, the business value of digital technologies, IT management, IT strategy, theory development, and quantitative research methods in IS research at graduate and undergraduate levels. Jose is a passionate speaker who enjoys working with students, colleagues, and executives to positively impact the business world and society. He has also provided consulting services and worked on IT development and digital transformation projects with many leading companies worldwide. Jose can be contacted at [email protected].