How does the anthropomorphism of AI chatbots facilitate users' reuse intention in online health consultation services? The moderating role of disease severity

Abstract

This study aims to ascertain the significance of the anthropomorphic features of AI chatbots in online health consultation (OHC) services. A conceptual model drawing on social presence theory was developed to interpret the paths through which the anthropomorphic features of AI chatbots influence users' intentions to reuse OHC services. A total of 502 valid responses were collected through an experimental survey and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results suggest that all the proposed anthropomorphic features of AI chatbots can enhance users perceived social presence and facilitate their communication quality with and trust in AI chatbots directly and/or indirectly, eventually leading to a high intention to reuse OHC services. In addition, the influence of perceived social presence on trust and communication quality was more significant for those experiencing relatively mild symptoms of the disease than for those experiencing intense symptoms. This study contributes by proposing a framework from the perspective of anthropomorphism and social presence to understand users' behavioral intentions in the OHC context. The findings of the empirical analysis have key implications for the improvement of OHC services.