Building consumer trust in the ChatGPT’s era: Insights from the hospitality industry

The research integrates the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Social Presence Theory to analyze consumer responses to ChatGPT. This study gathered data from 632 consumers staying at five-star hotels in Egypt’s major tourist attractions. The current study employed convenience sampling by relying on the electronic questionnaire approach, where the researchers selected an appropriate sample and the questionnaires were sent via the Internet, which contributed to facilitating the participation process, increasing the chances of their response, and rapid data collection. To test the study hypotheses, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used, which provided a strong statistical analysis to assess the correlations between variables and validate the suggested theoretical framework. Results indicate that ChatGPT’s emotional expression accuracy, richness, and personalization significantly enhance consumer interaction. Additionally, its availability and responsiveness foster a sense of emotional companionship, leading to increased emotional dependence and trust among users. The study results also supported that ChatGPT’s psychological attributes influence consumer interaction positively. In addition, the study found that ChatGPT’s ability to accurately express emotions and enable personalized interactions had a substantial impact on consumer interaction. This research contributes to the understanding of AI’s role, such as ChatGPT, in hospitality by identifying key emotional and psychological factors that enhance consumer trust. It provides actionable insights for luxury hotels to effectively integrate AI technologies such as ChatGPT, ultimately improving guest experiences and fostering loyalty. This study aims to examine the consumers’ ChatGPT emotional attributes, including emotional intelligence and emotional companionship, and ChatGPT psychological attributes on their interaction and investigate the influence of the consumers' interaction on their emotional dependence and trust towards ChatGPT.