Understanding the Influence of AI Voice Technology on Visually Impaired Elders’ Psychological Well-Being: An Affordance Perspective

The prevalence of visual impairment increases with age and has become a big threat that causes elders’ depression and social isolation. While digital technology is believed to be a solution for social inclusion, the challenge is that visually impaired elders (VIEs hereafter) lack the visual capability to use digital products. Thanks to the innovation of AI voice technology, VIEs are able to connect to the digital world with their speaking and hearing functions. Drawing on the framework of technology affordance, this paper is among the first to examine the effect of AI voice technology on VIEs’ psychological well-being. Our findings show that VIEs recognize functional affordance (i.e., human-likeness, interactivity, personalization and sourceness) and emotional attachment (i.e., flow state, intimacy, companionship, and trust) in their using of AI voice technology. Results also reveal a virtuous cycle between functional affordance and emotional attachment. More importantly, functional affordance and emotional attachment are found to positively influence VIEs’ psychological well-being. The findings not only have theoretical implications but inform the design of AI voice technology to tailor VIEs’ needs.