Deploying artificial intelligence for healthcare: An empirical study on the patients' usage of health care service and AI's anthropomorphic structure form

Abstract

Healthcare services have been intrinsically linked with the technology at our disposal for the past several decades. Novel technologies such as the AI avatar can help us better bridge the gap between the demand for mental health therapy and the unprecedented opportunities to improve people with mental health outcomes. Study 1 showed that trust mediates between anthropomorphism and intention to use AI avatar therapy. In Study 2, patients' self-disclosure interacts with the anthropomorphism of the avatar and affects their trust toward the AI avatars for their therapy. Study 3 results indicated that the interaction effect between the structural form of the avatar and the user's perceived anthropomorphism of the avatar affects the user's intention to use the avatar for therapy. These findings contribute to automation and medical decision-making psychology and suggest interventions to increase patient acceptance of AI avatar therapy in mental healthcare.