AI as a companion or a tool? Nostalgia promotes embracing AI technology with a relational use

Recent research has indicated that nostalgia is associated with, or fosters, favorable responses to innovative technology and in particular artificial intelligence (AI). However, prior studies failed to differentiate between the relational and functional uses of AI agents, resulting in an incomplete understanding of the role that nostalgia plays in facilitating acceptance of innovation. The current research seeks to fill this gap. We hypothesized that nostalgia is associated with, or engenders, more favorable responses to AI agents used for relational purposes (i.e., as companions) than functional purposes (i.e., as tools for task completion). We obtained support for this moderation model in three preregistered studies (ΣN = 1100). Nostalgia was associated with (Study 1) or increased (Studies 2 and 3) favorability toward AI agents with a relational, but not functional, use. This pattern was due to the stronger role of nostalgia-induced social connectedness in predicting favorable responses to AI agents with a relational (vs. functional) use (Study 3). We discuss implications for the human-technology interaction.