{"title":"Corrigendum to “Factors influencing the adoption intent of quantum computing in enterprises: An innovation adoption process perspective”, [International Journal of Information Management 86 (2026) 102978]","authors":"Ohbyung Kwon , Seongjun Kwon , Timothy Jung , Saifeddin Alimamy","doi":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102993","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102993","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48422,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Information Management","volume":"86 ","pages":"Article 102993"},"PeriodicalIF":27.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145693139","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-09-06DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102976
Kashif Saeed, Victor R. Prybutok
Organizations increasingly use agentic information systems (agentic IS) to achieve performance-driven objectives. However, agentic IS raise ethical concerns, such as fairness, bias, autonomy, transparency, responsibility, and privacy. Over 70 % of the stakeholders, such as users, have expressed concerns about the various business applications of agentic IS. However, limited research has examined how stakeholders evaluate utility versus ethics in delegating tasks to agentic IS. Our results show that stakeholders assess agentic IS for delegation using a combination of rules-based and outcome-based ethical thinking, which values both AI utility and ethical considerations. Moreover, when agentic IS embeds ethical capabilities, stakeholders view both agentic IS and delegating tasks to them as ethically sound. Furthermore, stakeholders consistently prefer agentic IS with human oversight over fully autonomous systems. These insights help organizations optimize efficiency through agentic IS while promoting ethical adoption by respecting stakeholder preferences. This research contributes to the IS literature by integrating ethics into the agentic delegation framework, thereby establishing a foundation for future research in the developing field of agentic IS.
{"title":"When utility meets ethics: A stakeholder perspective on agentic information systems delegation","authors":"Kashif Saeed, Victor R. Prybutok","doi":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102976","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102976","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Organizations increasingly use agentic information systems (agentic IS) to achieve performance-driven objectives. However, agentic IS raise ethical concerns, such as fairness, bias, autonomy, transparency, responsibility, and privacy. Over 70 % of the stakeholders, such as users, have expressed concerns about the various business applications of agentic IS. However, limited research has examined how stakeholders evaluate utility versus ethics in delegating tasks to agentic IS. Our results show that stakeholders assess agentic IS for delegation using a combination of rules-based and outcome-based ethical thinking, which values both AI utility and ethical considerations. Moreover, when agentic IS embeds ethical capabilities, stakeholders view both agentic IS and delegating tasks to them as ethically sound. Furthermore, stakeholders consistently prefer agentic IS with human oversight over fully autonomous systems. These insights help organizations optimize efficiency through agentic IS while promoting ethical adoption by respecting stakeholder preferences. This research contributes to the IS literature by integrating ethics into the agentic delegation framework, thereby establishing a foundation for future research in the developing field of agentic IS.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48422,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Information Management","volume":"86 ","pages":"Article 102976"},"PeriodicalIF":27.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145004631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-11-11DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102995
Yujing Xu , Wen-Lung Shiau
Moderation analysis is a critical part in business and management research, particularly within the information systems (IS) domain, yet it continues to face persistent methodological issues. These issues not only threaten the reliability of results but also hinder theoretical advancements. To address these challenges, our study undertakes a comprehensive examination of moderation analysis. We commence with a concise synthesis of its conceptual evolution by reviewing 30 foundational publications that have shaped its development. Subsequently, we categorize and clarify the core moderation models, including two-way, three-way interactions, and moderated mediation, highlighting their appropriate application contexts and corresponding analytical techniques. Building upon this foundational knowledge, we identify and detail 15 prevalent methodological issues in moderation research, assessing their contemporary prevalence through an empirical investigation of 274 articles published in top-tier IS journals over the past three years. To equip researchers with actionable guidance, we propose a state-of-the-art, stage-based framework that encompasses the entire research lifecycle—from initial preparation and hypothesis development through design planning, data collection, sophisticated analysis, rigorous interpretation, to transparent reporting. Our contributions are fourfold. First, we present contemporary empirical evidence on the persistence of historical issues and identify emerging trends in moderation research. Second, we offer a comprehensive, stage-based framework that transcends existing piecemeal recommendations, providing actionable support across the research lifecycle. Third, we consolidate theoretical insights by tracing the conceptual evolution of moderation analysis and systematically classifying major moderation models. Finally, we address the identified critical issues throughout the research process, equipping researchers with empirically validated status assessments and evidence-based solutions. Overall, our study enriches the understanding of moderation analysis and equips researchers, journal editors, and practitioners with a robust methodological roadmap for conducting rigorous and theoretically informed moderation research.
{"title":"Moderation analysis in business and management research: Common issues, solutions, and guidelines for future research","authors":"Yujing Xu , Wen-Lung Shiau","doi":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102995","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102995","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Moderation analysis is a critical part in business and management research, particularly within the information systems (IS) domain, yet it continues to face persistent methodological issues. These issues not only threaten the reliability of results but also hinder theoretical advancements. To address these challenges, our study undertakes a comprehensive examination of moderation analysis. We commence with a concise synthesis of its conceptual evolution by reviewing 30 foundational publications that have shaped its development. Subsequently, we categorize and clarify the core moderation models, including two-way, three-way interactions, and moderated mediation, highlighting their appropriate application contexts and corresponding analytical techniques. Building upon this foundational knowledge, we identify and detail 15 prevalent methodological issues in moderation research, assessing their contemporary prevalence through an empirical investigation of 274 articles published in top-tier IS journals over the past three years. To equip researchers with actionable guidance, we propose a state-of-the-art, stage-based framework that encompasses the entire research lifecycle—from initial preparation and hypothesis development through design planning, data collection, sophisticated analysis, rigorous interpretation, to transparent reporting. Our contributions are fourfold. First, we present contemporary empirical evidence on the persistence of historical issues and identify emerging trends in moderation research. Second, we offer a comprehensive, stage-based framework that transcends existing piecemeal recommendations, providing actionable support across the research lifecycle. Third, we consolidate theoretical insights by tracing the conceptual evolution of moderation analysis and systematically classifying major moderation models. Finally, we address the identified critical issues throughout the research process, equipping researchers with empirically validated status assessments and evidence-based solutions. Overall, our study enriches the understanding of moderation analysis and equips researchers, journal editors, and practitioners with a robust methodological roadmap for conducting rigorous and theoretically informed moderation research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48422,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Information Management","volume":"86 ","pages":"Article 102995"},"PeriodicalIF":27.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145528685","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-10-15DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102987
Wei Wang , Haiwang Liu , Xiaohui Zheng , Yuan Qin , Yenchun Jim Wu
Creating types of rewards that align with the motivational inclinations of investors is posited as an essential precondition of successful crowdfunding. However, the relationship among entrepreneurial narratives, the types of rewards, and financing performance is often overlooked. Based on self-determination theory (SDT), we use 256,633 crowdfunding projects from Kickstarter to examine this relationship. Text mining is employed to identify four types of rewards: emotional support, participation opportunity, virtual product, and physical product rewards. The first two have intrinsic incentives, whereas the second two have extrinsic incentives. By econometric models, the results suggest that intrinsically driven rewards are more attractive than extrinsically driven rewards. The participation opportunity reward is the most effective, while the virtual product reward is the least effective. Further, the cognitive load of reward narratives enhances the effect of the reward. Moreover, entrepreneur narcissism enhances the effect of the reward, but the influence is not consistent among the four types of rewards. In addition, the effect of the type of reward depends on a project’s characteristics. This study refines the application of SDT regarding online entrepreneurship, deepens understanding of informational mechanisms that motivate investor participation, and offers actionable guidelines for information management regarding the rewards and narrative content.
{"title":"Reward-based crowdfunding strategies: Aligning the types of rewards for crowdfunding projects with entrepreneurial narratives","authors":"Wei Wang , Haiwang Liu , Xiaohui Zheng , Yuan Qin , Yenchun Jim Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102987","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102987","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Creating types of rewards that align with the motivational inclinations of investors is posited as an essential precondition of successful crowdfunding. However, the relationship among entrepreneurial narratives, the types of rewards, and financing performance is often overlooked. Based on self-determination theory (SDT), we use 256,633 crowdfunding projects from Kickstarter to examine this relationship. Text mining is employed to identify four types of rewards: emotional support, participation opportunity, virtual product, and physical product rewards. The first two have intrinsic incentives, whereas the second two have extrinsic incentives. By econometric models, the results suggest that intrinsically driven rewards are more attractive than extrinsically driven rewards. The participation opportunity reward is the most effective, while the virtual product reward is the least effective. Further, the cognitive load of reward narratives enhances the effect of the reward. Moreover, entrepreneur narcissism enhances the effect of the reward, but the influence is not consistent among the four types of rewards. In addition, the effect of the type of reward depends on a project’s characteristics. This study refines the application of SDT regarding online entrepreneurship, deepens understanding of informational mechanisms that motivate investor participation, and offers actionable guidelines for information management regarding the rewards and narrative content.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48422,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Information Management","volume":"86 ","pages":"Article 102987"},"PeriodicalIF":27.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145332613","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102980
Bo Yang, Yongqiang Sun, Qinwei Li
Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) can fundamentally disrupt how content is produced and is increasingly integrated into organizational and individual task-performing and decision-making. This study investigates how individuals perceive and process AI-generated content by advancing the understanding of user satisfaction through an extension of dual fit theory. By theoretically grounding our investigation in dual fit theory, we propose that two key information representations (information credibility and creativity) are key drivers of user satisfaction, operating through two distinct mediating mechanisms: cognitive fit, which reflects the alignment of information with task demands, and emotional fit, which captures the match between the interaction experience and user emotions. Our model posits that both credibility and creativity distinctly influence these cognitive and emotional fit pathways. Furthermore, we examine the boundary conditions by exploring the moderating role of task representation (e.g., task routineness and task hedonism). We tested our hypotheses through two 2 × 2 between-subject scenario experiments with 548 and 197 participants. Across both studies, the results consistently show that information credibility positively impacts both cognitive and emotional fit. Information creativity primarily enhances emotional fit, with its effect on cognitive fit emerging under specific task conditions. Both fit dimensions, in turn, positively affect user satisfaction with the outcome and the process. Our results indicate that task routineness is a stronger moderator than task hedonism. A good match between the information and task representations (i.e., aligning credibility with routine tasks and creativity with creative tasks) leads to enhanced cognitive and emotional fit.
{"title":"To be credible or to be creative? Understanding the mechanisms driving user satisfaction with AI-generated content from a dual fit perspective","authors":"Bo Yang, Yongqiang Sun, Qinwei Li","doi":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102980","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102980","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) can fundamentally disrupt how content is produced and is increasingly integrated into organizational and individual task-performing and decision-making. This study investigates how individuals perceive and process AI-generated content by advancing the understanding of user satisfaction through an extension of dual fit theory. By theoretically grounding our investigation in dual fit theory, we propose that two key information representations (information credibility and creativity) are key drivers of user satisfaction, operating through two distinct mediating mechanisms: cognitive fit, which reflects the alignment of information with task demands, and emotional fit, which captures the match between the interaction experience and user emotions. Our model posits that both credibility and creativity distinctly influence these cognitive and emotional fit pathways. Furthermore, we examine the boundary conditions by exploring the moderating role of task representation (e.g., task routineness and task hedonism). We tested our hypotheses through two 2 × 2 between-subject scenario experiments with 548 and 197 participants. Across both studies, the results consistently show that information credibility positively impacts both cognitive and emotional fit. Information creativity primarily enhances emotional fit, with its effect on cognitive fit emerging under specific task conditions. Both fit dimensions, in turn, positively affect user satisfaction with the outcome and the process. Our results indicate that task routineness is a stronger moderator than task hedonism. A good match between the information and task representations (i.e., aligning credibility with routine tasks and creativity with creative tasks) leads to enhanced cognitive and emotional fit.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48422,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Information Management","volume":"86 ","pages":"Article 102980"},"PeriodicalIF":27.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145227143","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-11-06DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102997
Jitao Yan , Kenneth Husted , Benjamin Fath
To realize the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), organizations must manage the paradoxical tensions that arise when using it in pursuit of innovation. Studies suggest that the adoption of AI introduces new avenues for explorative and exploitative learning in organizations, prompting a reassessment of how these competing learning modes interact. Drawing on interview data, we identify a set of new tensions that arise when AI is used to support organizational learning. We conceptualize these tensions as paradoxes of autonomy (autonomy vs. control), rationality (formal vs. substantive), transparency (opacity vs. accountability), and opportunity (internal vs. external learning). We contribute to the emerging literature on the role of AI in organizational learning by showing why organizational learning with AI benefits from a hybridization approach that integrates the distinctive yet complementary learning capacities of humans and AI. Hybridization creates conditions to enact coping solutions for the paradoxes identified.
{"title":"Organizational learning with artificial intelligence: Balancing new tensions between explorative and exploitative learning through hybridization","authors":"Jitao Yan , Kenneth Husted , Benjamin Fath","doi":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102997","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102997","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To realize the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), organizations must manage the paradoxical tensions that arise when using it in pursuit of innovation. Studies suggest that the adoption of AI introduces new avenues for explorative and exploitative learning in organizations, prompting a reassessment of how these competing learning modes interact. Drawing on interview data, we identify a set of new tensions that arise when AI is used to support organizational learning. We conceptualize these tensions as paradoxes of autonomy (autonomy vs. control), rationality (formal vs. substantive), transparency (opacity vs. accountability), and opportunity (internal vs. external learning). We contribute to the emerging literature on the role of AI in organizational learning by showing why organizational learning with AI benefits from a hybridization approach that integrates the distinctive yet complementary learning capacities of humans and AI. Hybridization creates conditions to enact coping solutions for the paradoxes identified.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48422,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Information Management","volume":"86 ","pages":"Article 102997"},"PeriodicalIF":27.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145474061","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-09-26DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102979
Jun Gao , Huichao Guo , Shuying Gong
Innovative digital products (IDPs) are novel products that combine traditional physical components with smart (AI) and connectivity (IoT) components. While these innovative technological products are designed to enhance consumer well-being, their actual effects remain controversial. We propose resolving the well-being paradox in smart services through consumer-driven value co-creation with IDPs. However, how consumers proactively leverage IDPs to co-create value and enhance their well-being remains underexplored. Our research aims to identify the specific value co-creation practices between consumers and IDPs that can improve consumer eudaimonic well-being and examine the underlying mechanisms. In Study 1, we employed practice theory—a sociological lens—to qualitatively identify three types of consumer-IDP value co-creation practices: (1) adapting practices, (2) crafting practices, (3) connecting practices. In Study 2, we quantitatively demonstrated that these practices positively affected basic need satisfaction, which in turn enhanced consumer eudaimonic well-being. Our research provides theoretical contributions and managerial implications for facilitating consumer-driven value co-creation and improving consumer well-being in IDP services.
{"title":"Value co-creation practices in the service of innovative digital products and their effects on consumer eudaimonic well-being","authors":"Jun Gao , Huichao Guo , Shuying Gong","doi":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102979","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102979","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Innovative digital products (IDPs) are novel products that combine traditional physical components with smart (AI) and connectivity (IoT) components. While these innovative technological products are designed to enhance consumer well-being, their actual effects remain controversial. We propose resolving the well-being paradox in smart services through consumer-driven value co-creation with IDPs. However, how consumers proactively leverage IDPs to co-create value and enhance their well-being remains underexplored. Our research aims to identify the specific value co-creation practices between consumers and IDPs that can improve consumer eudaimonic well-being and examine the underlying mechanisms. In Study 1, we employed practice theory—a sociological lens—to qualitatively identify three types of consumer-IDP value co-creation practices: (1) adapting practices, (2) crafting practices, (3) connecting practices. In Study 2, we quantitatively demonstrated that these practices positively affected basic need satisfaction, which in turn enhanced consumer eudaimonic well-being. Our research provides theoretical contributions and managerial implications for facilitating consumer-driven value co-creation and improving consumer well-being in IDP services.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48422,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Information Management","volume":"86 ","pages":"Article 102979"},"PeriodicalIF":27.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145158325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has demonstrated remarkable potential in creative domains; however, existing research has yet to fully explore how to optimize human–GenAI synergy or uncover the mechanisms underlying its impact on creativity. This study transcends the view of creativity as a singular process or monolithic outcome and examines how human–GenAI collaboration differentially influences the distinct creative phases of idea generation and idea elaboration. Drawing on creative process theory and goal orientation theory, we propose that human–GenAI collaboration activates phase-specific psychological mechanisms in pursuit of divergent creative goals. Using a multimethod approach, including a qualitative study (N = 20), two lab experiments (N1 = 42; N2 = 44), and an online behavioral experiment (N = 198), we find that human–GenAI collaboration in the idea generation phase (compared with the elaboration phase) enhances creative novelty by increasing cognitive flexibility, whereas human–GenAI collaboration in the idea elaboration phase (compared with the generation phase) improves creative usefulness by reducing cognitive overload. Furthermore, perceived GenAI intelligence moderates the indirect relationship between collaboration phases and usefulness through cognitive overload. By deconstructing the creative process, this research offers a nuanced understanding of the mechanisms and boundary conditions of human–GenAI collaboration, advancing theoretical conversations on AI-assisted creativity and providing actionable guidance for integrating GenAI into creative and organizational workflows.
{"title":"Human–GenAI collaboration across creative phases: Cognitive mechanisms shaping novelty and usefulness","authors":"Shiyingzi Huang , Lirong Long , Yanghao Zhu , Julie N.Y. Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102986","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102986","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has demonstrated remarkable potential in creative domains; however, existing research has yet to fully explore how to optimize human–GenAI synergy or uncover the mechanisms underlying its impact on creativity. This study transcends the view of creativity as a singular process or monolithic outcome and examines how human–GenAI collaboration differentially influences the distinct creative phases of idea generation and idea elaboration. Drawing on creative process theory and goal orientation theory, we propose that human–GenAI collaboration activates phase-specific psychological mechanisms in pursuit of divergent creative goals. Using a multimethod approach, including a qualitative study (<em>N</em> = 20), two lab experiments (<em>N</em><sub><em>1</em></sub> = 42; <em>N</em><sub><em>2</em></sub> = 44), and an online behavioral experiment (<em>N</em> = 198), we find that human–GenAI collaboration in the idea generation phase (compared with the elaboration phase) enhances creative novelty by increasing cognitive flexibility, whereas human–GenAI collaboration in the idea elaboration phase (compared with the generation phase) improves creative usefulness by reducing cognitive overload. Furthermore, perceived GenAI intelligence moderates the indirect relationship between collaboration phases and usefulness through cognitive overload. By deconstructing the creative process, this research offers a nuanced understanding of the mechanisms and boundary conditions of human–GenAI collaboration, advancing theoretical conversations on AI-assisted creativity and providing actionable guidance for integrating GenAI into creative and organizational workflows.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48422,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Information Management","volume":"86 ","pages":"Article 102986"},"PeriodicalIF":27.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145227141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-10-09DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102984
Hanfei Xue , Jiayu Wang , Szeman Chong , Woojin Choi , Chung-Wha (Chloe) Ki , Christina W.Y. Wong
Despite ongoing debates about the benefits and challenges of AI in retail, advances in AI continue to drive the evolution of virtual assistants (VAs). Initially limited to simple, formless chatbots, VAs have progressively incorporated visual representations and, more recently, hyper-realistic, human-like digital personas enabled by AI. While these innovations have significantly enhanced the form and realism of VAs, their true impact remains underexplored, with mixed evidence on how such visual improvements influence consumer perception and, ultimately, VA service quality. Complicating this issue is a persistent theoretical bias in the existing literature, which predominantly depends on technology-, social-, and cognitive-centered frameworks. Although technology-based theories were useful in early VA adoption, their explanatory power declines as consumer familiarity grows. Moreover, the online retail context—where VAs primarily operate—limits the relevance of traditional social and cognitive theories. Unlike goal-driven, socially interactive in-store shopping, online retail is often solitary, self-paced, and hedonic. Online consumers browse not only to fulfill functional or cognitive needs but also to seek leisure, escape from daily routines (liberation), and indulge in immersive pleasure (hedonic engagement), treating shopping as a source of fun and stress relief. Given these dynamics, VA research must move beyond traditional frameworks to better capture the hedonic nature of modern online retail. To address these gaps, we examine how VA form and realism influence consumer evaluations of VA services, focusing on the mediating roles of liberation, hedonic engagement, and fun, as outlined in consumer fun theory. Using VA stimuli generated by AI tools, we conducted three experimental studies. Study 1 found that simply adding a visual form to VA (compared to no form) significantly improved consumer evaluations, mediated by liberation, hedonic engagement, and fun. Study 2 showed that increasing VA form realism (high vs. low) further amplified service evaluations through the same mediation pathways. Study 3 confirmed these effects and revealed that recreation-oriented shoppers experienced stronger mediation effects than task-oriented shoppers. Together, these findings offer fresh theoretical and practical insights for enhancing VA design and deployment in online retail environments.
{"title":"Fun by Design: Visual Form, Realism, and the Hedonic Appeal of AI-Powered Virtual Assistants","authors":"Hanfei Xue , Jiayu Wang , Szeman Chong , Woojin Choi , Chung-Wha (Chloe) Ki , Christina W.Y. Wong","doi":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102984","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102984","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite ongoing debates about the benefits and challenges of AI in retail, advances in AI continue to drive the evolution of virtual assistants (VAs). Initially limited to simple, formless chatbots, VAs have progressively incorporated visual representations and, more recently, hyper-realistic, human-like digital personas enabled by AI. While these innovations have significantly enhanced the form and realism of VAs, their true impact remains underexplored, with mixed evidence on how such visual improvements influence consumer perception and, ultimately, VA service quality. Complicating this issue is a persistent theoretical bias in the existing literature, which predominantly depends on technology-, social-, and cognitive-centered frameworks. Although technology-based theories were useful in early VA adoption, their explanatory power declines as consumer familiarity grows. Moreover, the online retail context—where VAs primarily operate—limits the relevance of traditional social and cognitive theories. Unlike goal-driven, socially interactive in-store shopping, online retail is often solitary, self-paced, and hedonic. Online consumers browse not only to fulfill functional or cognitive needs but also to seek leisure, escape from daily routines (liberation), and indulge in immersive pleasure (hedonic engagement), treating shopping as a source of fun and stress relief. Given these dynamics, VA research must move beyond traditional frameworks to better capture the hedonic nature of modern online retail. To address these gaps, we examine how VA form and realism influence consumer evaluations of VA services, focusing on the mediating roles of liberation, hedonic engagement, and fun, as outlined in consumer fun theory. Using VA stimuli generated by AI tools, we conducted three experimental studies. Study 1 found that simply adding a visual form to VA (compared to no form) significantly improved consumer evaluations, mediated by liberation, hedonic engagement, and fun. Study 2 showed that increasing VA form realism (high vs. low) further amplified service evaluations through the same mediation pathways. Study 3 confirmed these effects and revealed that recreation-oriented shoppers experienced stronger mediation effects than task-oriented shoppers. Together, these findings offer fresh theoretical and practical insights for enhancing VA design and deployment in online retail environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48422,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Information Management","volume":"86 ","pages":"Article 102984"},"PeriodicalIF":27.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145267050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-11-04DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102990
Rui Zhao , Lixia Niu , Shiquan Wang , Zhen Chen
This study introduces the concept of occupational identity crafting, delineating its core dimensions—role, task, and skill crafting—as a proactive response to artificial intelligence (AI)-induced changes in the workplace. Using two pre-registered studies, we examine the impact of AI identity (assistant, partner, and leader) on employees’ occupational identity crafting. Our findings show that with AI framed as a leader, employees experience enhanced role, task, and skill crafting, although the rate of role crafting tends to decelerate (Study 1). Additionally, drawing on the threat–opportunity framework, we explored the moderating role of human–AI relationship cognition (Study 2). The results indicate that the positive effect of AI framed as a leader on occupational identity crafting is stronger among participants with augmentation cognition, whereas substitution cognition does not exert a significant moderating effect. By conceptualizing and empirically validating occupational identity crafting, this study advances the theoretical understanding of employee adaptation to AI identities and provides practical guidance for managing human–AI collaboration.
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