Designing curiosity-driven AI chatbots for non-technical fields: A design science approach to supporting school counselors

Artificially intelligent chatbots are becoming increasingly relevant in non-technical domains like school counseling, where professionals face growing demands and often hesitate to use data and available technology.This research employs a design science research methodology to create and evaluate an AI chatbot designed to support school counselors and explore the various design principles influencing satisfaction and continuance intention in a non-technical field.The artifact is grounded in principles of the Information Gap Theory and demonstrated through a single case study.The research contributes to the field of Information Systems by examining how AI chatbots can enhance decision-making and automate tasks in a non-technical field.The qualitative analysis results indicate that school counselors are likely to adopt an AI chatbot if it helps optimize their workload, establishes clear expectations, encourages ongoing interaction, and utilizes social comparison to foster support and engagement among users.