Is AI chatbot recommendation convincing customer? An analytical response based on the elaboration likelihood model

Abstract

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in e-commerce has currently stimulated scholarly attention, however studies on AI and e-commerce generally relatively few. The current study aims to evaluate how artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots persuade users to consider chatbot recommendations in a web-based buying situation. Employing the theory of elaboration likelihood, the current study presents an analytical framework for identifying factors and internal mechanisms of consumers' readiness to adopt AI chatbot recommendations. The authors evaluated the model employing questionnaire responses from 411 Chinese AI chatbot consumers. The findings of present study indicated that chatbot recommendation reliability and accuracy is positively related to AI technology trust and have negative effect on perceived self-threat. In addition, AI technology trust is positively related to intention to adopt chatbot decision whereas perceived self-threat negatively related to intention to adopt chatbot decision. The perceived dialogue strengthens the significant relationship between AI-tech trust and intention to adopt chatbot decision and weakens the negative relationship between perceived self-threat and intention to adopt AI chatbot decisions.