Merchandising/Marketing/Retailing: Branding

Trust and Distrust in Conversational AI Agents: The Effects of Agent Interaction Style and User Information Need

---

Abstract

Conversational AI agents (CAs) are computer programs with the ability to interpret and respond to users' natural language and communicate with users as humans would do with another human. CAs are being used more frequently as enterprise assistants, sales and marketing agents, customer care representatives, and data collection tools. The need to comprehend how they affect consumer trust or distrust in CAs has arisen as a result of the expansion of the CA market and the increasing roles that CAs play in consumption decisions. In order to meet this demand, this paper makes propositions regarding how user information requirements and CA interaction style may affect consumer trust and distrust in CAs as well as the mechanisms through which these influences take place based on the trust-distrust theory, social response theory, construal level theory, and cognitive load theory.

Keywords: Conversational agents, Interaction style, user information need, perceived social support, cognitive vigilance, trust, distrust

How to Cite:

Harrison, E. N. & Kwon, W., (2022) “Trust and Distrust in Conversational AI Agents: The Effects of Agent Interaction Style and User Information Need”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 79(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.15924