Understanding the Role of Cognitive and Affective Trust in Consumer-Artificial Intelligence Relationships

Abstract

Drawing on the Theory of Social Response and Theory of Mind, the current study examines the roles of cognitive and affective trust in the human-AI relationship for digital assistants and social robots, respectively. Specifically, this study investigates both antecedents to trust and consequences of trust. An online survey was conducted at a large U.S. university. The results showed that digital assistants have established more robust relationships with consumers than social robots, resulting in more paths to stickiness intention. While both cognitive and affective trust were vital to building a human-AI relationship, cognitive trust was a foundation of relationship building for both digital assistants and social robots. Differences were observed between digital assistants and social robots, specifically affective trust and utilitarian values. The findings from this study provide new insights into the dynamic ways that cognitive and affective trust build human-AI relationships and offer relevant implications to promote building successful human-AI relationships.<br> <br>