AI as a friend or assistant: The mediating role of perceived usefulness in social AI vs. functional AI

Advents of new technology have transformed how we currently view and use artificial intelligence (AI). Originally, AI was first developed to assist humans to complete tasks, but AI now takes on more social roles, such as functioning as a companion. However, little is known about how individuals view these different types of AI. Thus, the present study conducted an online experiment to explore people’s perceptions about social AI vs. functional AI. Primary results suggest that individuals have more positive attitudes toward functional AI than social AI. Perceived usefulness of AI is found to have a mediation effect, suggesting functional AI, compared to social AI, leads to stronger perceived usefulness, which consequently fosters more positive attitudes and stronger perceived realism of AI. The results collectively suggest meaningful implications for human-AI communication and human–machine communication research.