My fitness coach is AI: unraveling the influential mechanisms of AI coach-user-human coach interactions on users’ behavioral intention

Human-AI interaction is one of the critical factors influencing user behaviors and intentions when using AI fitness coaches to guide exercise. However, it is still unclear how human-AI interactions among AI fitness coaches, users, and human coaches affect users’ behavioral intention. The authors employed an online survey to investigate the factors behind the effect of AI coach-user-human coach interactions on users’ behavioral intention. The results indicated that (1) AI coach-user interaction positively impacts functional value and emotional value; (2) User-user interaction has a favorable influence on both functional and emotional value.; (3) Human coach-user interaction positively influences functional and emotional value; (4) Functional and emotional values favorably affect behavioral intention; (5) Both functional and emotional values act as mediators in the effects of AI coach-user-human coach interactions on users’ behavioral intention. This study offered the theoretical and practical implications of these results.