Exploring the ‘Dark Side’ of AI‐Powered Digital Assistants: A Moderated Mediation Model of Antecedents and Outcomes of Perceived Creepiness

<p dir="ltr">Artificial intelligence‐powered digital assistants (DAs) offer benefits, but their downsides can hinder user adoption and limit market potential. Although research exists on users' experiences with DAs, less is known about how user characteristics influence percepti...

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Main Author: Daniel K. Maduku (22391049) (author)
Other Authors: Nripendra P. Rana (14047252) (author), Mercy Mpinganjira (11551762) (author), Philile Thusi (17337751) (author)
Published: 2025
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author Daniel K. Maduku (22391049)
author2 Nripendra P. Rana (14047252)
Mercy Mpinganjira (11551762)
Philile Thusi (17337751)
author2_role author
author
author
author_facet Daniel K. Maduku (22391049)
Nripendra P. Rana (14047252)
Mercy Mpinganjira (11551762)
Philile Thusi (17337751)
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Daniel K. Maduku (22391049)
Nripendra P. Rana (14047252)
Mercy Mpinganjira (11551762)
Philile Thusi (17337751)
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-02-03T03:00:00Z
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 10.1002/cb.2462
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Exploring_the_Dark_Side_of_AI_Powered_Digital_Assistants_A_Moderated_Mediation_Model_of_Antecedents_and_Outcomes_of_Perceived_Creepiness/30304933
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv CC BY 4.0
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Information and computing sciences
Artificial intelligence
Cybersecurity and privacy
Human-centred computing
Information systems
Philosophy and religious studies
Applied ethics
Psychology
Cognitive and computational psychology
Social and personality psychology
Artificial intelligence
Digital assistants
Disengagement
Distrust
Perceived creepiness
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Exploring the ‘Dark Side’ of AI‐Powered Digital Assistants: A Moderated Mediation Model of Antecedents and Outcomes of Perceived Creepiness
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Text
Journal contribution
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
text
contribution to journal
description <p dir="ltr">Artificial intelligence‐powered digital assistants (DAs) offer benefits, but their downsides can hinder user adoption and limit market potential. Although research exists on users' experiences with DAs, less is known about how user characteristics influence perceptions of a ‘dark side’—perceived creepiness. This study explores how perceived creepiness, user characteristics (uncertainty avoidance), and anxieties triggered by DAs (privacy concerns and technology anxiety) relate to distrust and disengagement from DAs. Based on the stressor‐strain‐outcome and person‐environment fit models, a research model was proposed and tested using survey data from 509 DA users analysed with Amos version 29 software. The results reveal that privacy concerns, uncertainty avoidance, and technology anxiety positively influence perceived creepiness and distrust of DAs, leading to disengagement. Moreover, uncertainty avoidance moderates these relationships, with users higher in uncertainty avoidance experiencing a stronger link between privacy concerns/technology anxiety and perceived creepiness. Importantly, the study shows indirect effects mediated by perceived creepiness, with uncertainty avoidance further moderating these indirect relationships. These findings contribute to literature by highlighting the interplay between user characteristics, DA‐induced anxieties, perceived creepiness, and user disengagement with DAs.</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Journal of Consumer Behaviour<br>License: <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cb.2462" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cb.2462</a></p>
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
id Manara2_c4b7e323b016c1ed457fd0ab1126263a
identifier_str_mv 10.1002/cb.2462
network_acronym_str Manara2
network_name_str Manara2
oai_identifier_str oai:figshare.com:article/30304933
publishDate 2025
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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rights_invalid_str_mv CC BY 4.0
spelling Exploring the ‘Dark Side’ of AI‐Powered Digital Assistants: A Moderated Mediation Model of Antecedents and Outcomes of Perceived CreepinessDaniel K. Maduku (22391049)Nripendra P. Rana (14047252)Mercy Mpinganjira (11551762)Philile Thusi (17337751)Information and computing sciencesArtificial intelligenceCybersecurity and privacyHuman-centred computingInformation systemsPhilosophy and religious studiesApplied ethicsPsychologyCognitive and computational psychologySocial and personality psychologyArtificial intelligenceDigital assistantsDisengagementDistrustPerceived creepiness<p dir="ltr">Artificial intelligence‐powered digital assistants (DAs) offer benefits, but their downsides can hinder user adoption and limit market potential. Although research exists on users' experiences with DAs, less is known about how user characteristics influence perceptions of a ‘dark side’—perceived creepiness. This study explores how perceived creepiness, user characteristics (uncertainty avoidance), and anxieties triggered by DAs (privacy concerns and technology anxiety) relate to distrust and disengagement from DAs. Based on the stressor‐strain‐outcome and person‐environment fit models, a research model was proposed and tested using survey data from 509 DA users analysed with Amos version 29 software. The results reveal that privacy concerns, uncertainty avoidance, and technology anxiety positively influence perceived creepiness and distrust of DAs, leading to disengagement. Moreover, uncertainty avoidance moderates these relationships, with users higher in uncertainty avoidance experiencing a stronger link between privacy concerns/technology anxiety and perceived creepiness. Importantly, the study shows indirect effects mediated by perceived creepiness, with uncertainty avoidance further moderating these indirect relationships. These findings contribute to literature by highlighting the interplay between user characteristics, DA‐induced anxieties, perceived creepiness, and user disengagement with DAs.</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Journal of Consumer Behaviour<br>License: <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cb.2462" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cb.2462</a></p>2025-02-03T03:00:00ZTextJournal contributioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiontextcontribution to journal10.1002/cb.2462https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Exploring_the_Dark_Side_of_AI_Powered_Digital_Assistants_A_Moderated_Mediation_Model_of_Antecedents_and_Outcomes_of_Perceived_Creepiness/30304933CC BY 4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:figshare.com:article/303049332025-02-03T03:00:00Z
spellingShingle Exploring the ‘Dark Side’ of AI‐Powered Digital Assistants: A Moderated Mediation Model of Antecedents and Outcomes of Perceived Creepiness
Daniel K. Maduku (22391049)
Information and computing sciences
Artificial intelligence
Cybersecurity and privacy
Human-centred computing
Information systems
Philosophy and religious studies
Applied ethics
Psychology
Cognitive and computational psychology
Social and personality psychology
Artificial intelligence
Digital assistants
Disengagement
Distrust
Perceived creepiness
status_str publishedVersion
title Exploring the ‘Dark Side’ of AI‐Powered Digital Assistants: A Moderated Mediation Model of Antecedents and Outcomes of Perceived Creepiness
title_full Exploring the ‘Dark Side’ of AI‐Powered Digital Assistants: A Moderated Mediation Model of Antecedents and Outcomes of Perceived Creepiness
title_fullStr Exploring the ‘Dark Side’ of AI‐Powered Digital Assistants: A Moderated Mediation Model of Antecedents and Outcomes of Perceived Creepiness
title_full_unstemmed Exploring the ‘Dark Side’ of AI‐Powered Digital Assistants: A Moderated Mediation Model of Antecedents and Outcomes of Perceived Creepiness
title_short Exploring the ‘Dark Side’ of AI‐Powered Digital Assistants: A Moderated Mediation Model of Antecedents and Outcomes of Perceived Creepiness
title_sort Exploring the ‘Dark Side’ of AI‐Powered Digital Assistants: A Moderated Mediation Model of Antecedents and Outcomes of Perceived Creepiness
topic Information and computing sciences
Artificial intelligence
Cybersecurity and privacy
Human-centred computing
Information systems
Philosophy and religious studies
Applied ethics
Psychology
Cognitive and computational psychology
Social and personality psychology
Artificial intelligence
Digital assistants
Disengagement
Distrust
Perceived creepiness