What Makes People Feel Empathy for AI Chatbots? Assessing the Role of Competence and Warmth

With the growth of contactless shopping, artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot services have become an effective tool for brands to interact with consumers. We investigate the effects of AI chatbots' humanlike characteristics on consumers' acceptance of chatbot services by mediating competence, warmth, and empathy based on the AI device use acceptance (AIDUA) model. Using structural equation modeling, we tested how the relationship between these variables differs depending on one's need for human interaction. Findings suggest that AI chatbots' personalization and anthropomorphism significantly increase perceived competence and warmth, leading to empathy. This positively affects consumers' willingness to use AI chatbots. Consumers' need for interaction moderates the relationship between anthropomorphism and competence. We applied a valid theoretical model to explore how the humanlike characteristics of AI chatbots affect consumers' cognitive and emotional reactions, determining their service acceptance. The findings have practical value for online retailers who use AI chatbots as marketing communication tools.