Enhancing Consumer Usage of AI-Chatbots: The Role of Perceived Humanness, Social Presence, and Social Interactivity

AI-Chatbots have been widely used in e-commerce activities and they can replace human customer service in the future. However, an industrial report shows that many consumers are reluctant to use AI-Chatbots. The purpose of this paper is to verify the effect of social elements on consumers' intention to utilize and intention to explore AI-chatbots. Based on the SOR model, this paper proposes that social elements of AI-Chatbots affect perceived intimacy, which is moderated by the consumers' need for human interaction. Perceived intimacy further facilitates consumers' trust in AI-Chatbots. Perceived intimacy and trust in AI-Chatbots reflect the inner states of the consumers and influence consumers' intention to use and explore AI-Chatbots. In this study, 302 valid data were collected by a survey to test the significant role of social elements. Contributions and limitations of this study were discussed.