Do ethical issues influence the interest of young people in using artificial intelligence? An integrated application of qualitative comparative analysis

The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI)-related services offers a broad range of potential benefits and threats for both organizations and consumers. However, realizing these benefits requires consumer acceptance of such technologies, often leading to considerable resistance, including users’ paradoxical attitudes. This study examines the conditions that explain both the interest in using AI systems in daily life and the negation of such interest. To this end, it develops a model that integrates several technology paradoxes with consumer satisfaction and trust in AI. Using an integrated qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), this study analyzes a dataset of 2809 Spanish Internet users from Generations Z and Millennials. The findings confirm that the perception of AI as a life-enhancing tool, along with satisfaction and trust, are essential for generating interest in AI adoption. Conversely, the negation of these paradoxes, combined with other factors or their negations, influences the lack of interest. Additionally, the results underscore the potential of an integrated approach to large-N QCA analysis.