AI chatbot service quality and user continuance intention: The mediating roles of perceived value and emotional trust

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots are a rapidly growing part of the Chinese e-commerce industry, they have completely changed how customers receive services. The study investigated the influence of AI chatbot service quality on users' perceived value and emotional trust, which subsequently affected their intentions to keep using the chatbot. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Expectation-Confirmation Model (ECM) were used to develop a dual mediation model to test these relationships using a covariance-based structural equation modeling methodology with AMOS. Data were collected from 450 Chinese e-commerce users via an online survey to examine the relationship between the five service quality dimensions of the AI chatbot (reliability, responsiveness, security, interface and personalization) and users' perceived value and emotional trust. Results showed that all five dimensions of AI chatbots service quality had a significant and positive influence on users' perceived value and emotional trust. Personalization had the greatest impact on enhancing users' perceived value, while security was the foundation for building users' emotional trust. Perceived value and emotional trust each have a significant impact on users' continuance intention using the AI chatbot, and both of these constructs served to mediate the relationship between AI chatbot service quality and users' continuance intention using the chatbot. Furthermore, the instrumental relationship (via perceived value) had a much greater explanatory power than the emotional relationship (via emotional trust). This research contributes to the body of knowledge by integrating the TAM and ECM in the AI chatbot context and presents practical guidance for e-commerce businesses.