An Integrated Model of Customers’ Intention to Reuse Information Service: What’s New for Conversational Agents?

Abstract

The application of conversational agents empowered by artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more common among tourism and hospitality businesses. Past research on AI has mostly investigated embodied robots rather than disembodied conversational agents. This study investigates the determinants of customers’ intention to reuse chatbots through integrating three different perspectives – technology acceptance model, computer-mediated communication theories, and interpersonal communication theories. Using online self-reported data analyzed by hierarchical regression and multi-group structural equation modeling, the efficacy of different theoretical models in predicting chatbot adoption were compared. A separate data set was collected from instant messaging (IM) users to provide implications that further explain the distinction between disembodied conversational agents and human conversational partners. Results suggest that variables associated with TAM and interpersonal attraction exert greatest influence on customers’ trust and reuse intention toward conversational agents. Managerial implications are suggested for practitioners to improve chatbot and IM design.