Eastern Ease and Western Worries? How collectivism and belief in magic increase user acceptance of operationally autonomous blackbox technologies

New products and services increasingly require users to relinquish control to so-called “Blackbox” technologies, wherein connections between inputs and outputs appear opaque and uncontrollable. No research has yet investigated whether cultural factors moderate the effect of perceived technological controllability on user acceptance. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior and Bandura's Theory of Human Agency, we examine how Individualism versus Collectivism influences the acceptance of products and services that require users to surrender control to the operationally autonomous Blackbox technologies of Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain. We furthermore investigate the impact of belief in the magical controllability of the world through, e.g., lucky numbers and charms (“belief in magic”). Through three survey-based experiments employing Scenario Techniques featuring fictitious products and services with a total sample size of n = 1750 respondents across the US, India, and Canada, our findings reveal that collectivism and belief in magic increase acceptance of operationally autonomous Blackbox technologies. Conversely, users endorsing the Western cultural norm of individualism and rejecting the magical controllability of the world exhibit heightened skepticism toward such innovations. The moderating effect of Individualism-Collectivism is mediated by a heightened Need for Controllability among individualistic users. Moreover, activating magical thinking amplifies the influence of belief in magic among users predisposed toward such beliefs. Our results stress the importance of considering cultural factors when designing and marketing operationally autonomous applications of Blackbox technologies. They also underscore the need for a broad societal debate and future research on the role of perceived controllability of a technology in user acceptance. • We study user acceptance of operationally autonomous applications of AI and Blockchain. • Individualism reduces user acceptance, due to a higher need for controllability. • Users with collectivist values also prefer high levels of control. • But they are more open to the convenience of autonomous Blackbox technologies. • A strong belief in magic (e.g., lucky numbers) increases user acceptance.