Explaining the use of AI chatbots as context alignment: Motivations behind the use of AI chatbots across contexts and culture

Drawing from the affordances concept in communication and the advertising research principle of context alignment, this study develops a typology of affordances associated with AI chatbot use across diverse contexts and cultures. We argue that the congruence between perceived affordances and the context of use significantly shapes users’ expectations and engagement with AI chatbots. As a first step, we developed a comprehensive set of AI chatbot affordances. Subsequently, we investigated the predictive value of these affordances for chatbot use across five different contexts, including at home, at work, in public spaces, during commuting, and at school. In a total sample of N = 5096 AI chatbot users from mainland China, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, and the United States, parallel analysis identified seven general (private social presence, accessibility, persistence, anonymity, bandwidth, editability, and conversation control) and five specific affordances (writing assistance, emotional assistance, coding assistance, personal assistance, translation assistance) for the use of AI chatbots. These affordances consistently predicted context-specific AI chatbot use across cultural boundaries.