Equality Matters: The Impact of Human–AI Relationship Types on Responsible Consumption in Shared Services

As AI becomes increasingly embedded in the sharing economy, understanding its impact on consumer behavior is crucial. This research aims to examine how different human–AI relationship types—equal vs. human-dominant—influence responsible consumption, framed within Social Identity Theory. Specifically, we investigate the mediating role of social identification and the moderating effect of anthropomorphism in shaping consumer responses to AI interactions. Across three experimental studies, we demonstrate that (1) equal human–AI relationships lead to higher responsible consumption than human-dominant relationships; (2) social identification mediates this relationship, as equal AI fosters greater consumer identification, which subsequently enhances responsible behavior; and (3) anthropomorphism moderates these effects, such that the positive influence of equal relationships on responsible consumption is significant only when anthropomorphism is low, whereas this effect diminishes when anthropomorphism is high. These findings contribute to the growing literature on AI–consumer interactions by offering insights into AI’s social dynamics and practical recommendations for designing AI systems that effectively promote responsible behavior in shared services.