The impact of perceived risk of AI-enabled vehicles on consumer purchase intention: The mediating role of trust mechanism

This research study has been conducted to explore the direct impacts of perceived risk on buying intentions for AI-enabled vehicles, with strategic attention given to the mediating effect of trust. This research uses a rigorously designed online survey of 587 respondents to find the relationship between main variables using structural equation modeling. The results are that the perceived risk significantly negatively influences purchase intention both directly, with a β of -0.342 and p < 0.001, and indirectly via trust at 39.4% of the whole effect. While perceived risk had a strong negative effect, trust had a strong positive effect on purchase intention, β = 0.487, p < 0.001, thus moderating the relationship between perceived risk and purchase intention. It will help extend the theoretical understanding of consumer behavior in AI-enabled markets and also provide practical implications for the manufacturer and marketer of an autonomous vehicle. Results suggest that, along with the strategy of decreasing risks, an organization must engage in the initiatives of building up trust for improving consumer acceptance of the technology.