How Can AI Virtual Streamers Gain Consumer Trust to Influence Purchase Intention in Live-Streaming E-Commerce?

Within the domain of live-streaming e-commerce, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies presents novel growth opportunities. Live-streaming sales by AI streamers have attracted widespread attention as a new form. To promote the application of AI streamers in live-streaming e-commerce, this paper mainly addresses the following question: How do AI streamers in live-streaming e-commerce influence consumer trust and purchase intention? Based on this, guided by the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) theory, we construct a research model to study the impact of AI streamers’ characteristics and scenario fit on purchase intention through trust mediation. Subsequently, 410 valid samples of consumers who watch AI streamers promoting products are collected through an online questionnaire. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) are integrated to investigate both the influence mechanisms and configurational pathways affecting purchase intention. This study reveals that AI streamers’ image characteristics (cuteness, vitality) and scenario fit are positively associated with purchase intention. However, AI streamers’ ability characteristics (professionalism, responsiveness) are not positively associated with purchase intention. In addition, consumer trust partially mediates the relationship between these key factors and purchase intention. Further, consumer innovativeness significantly negatively moderates the effect of AI streamers’ characteristics and scenario fit on consumer trust. Moreover, the influence mechanisms diverge substantially between incremental and breakthrough products.