An Exploratory Study on the Effects of Functional and Emotional Benefits of AI Agents on Emotional Satisfaction: The Moderating Role of MZ Generation

The field of AI agents has recently experienced rapid growth, with research actively exploring not only their functional utility but also their psychological benefits. However, in-depth analyses from a psychological perspective and empirical examinations of generational differences remain insufficient. Against this backdrop, the present study aims to analyze how the functional and emotional benefits provided by AI agents influence users’ emotional satisfaction, while also identifying differences across generations. Extending the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this study integrates functional benefits (personalization, compatibility) and psychological-emotional benefits (loneliness alleviation, escapism, social influence perception) to comprehensively examine their effects on emotional satisfaction. A survey was conducted with users in their 20s to 50s, and the hypotheses were tested through regression analysis. The results showed that personalization and compatibility (functional benefits), along with escapism and social influence perception (psychological-emotional benefits), exerted significant positive effects on emotional satisfaction, whereas loneliness alleviation did not. This suggests that users tend to derive satisfaction not from directly reducing loneliness through AI agents, but rather from their technological sophistication, immersive experiences, and enhanced sense of social presence. In addition, the moderation analysis by generation revealed that only the effect of escapism differed significantly. Specifically, non-MZ users (aged 40s-50s) exhibited a stronger link between escapism via AI agents and emotional satisfaction, while MZ users (aged 20s-30s) experienced the effect less strongly. This reflects the fact that non-MZ generations have fewer opportunities for digital immersion, whereas MZ users already engage in similar experiences across diverse digital platforms. This study makes an academic contribution by providing an integrated explanation of the value-creation process of AI agents through functional and emotional benefits leading to emotional satisfaction. From a practical perspective, the findings highlight that enhancing personalization, strengthening cross-device compatibility, embedding social cues, and designing immersive interactions are key strategies to improve user satisfaction with AI agent services. Moreover, the results underscore the necessity of developing generationally tailored service strategies that reflect the differing contexts and expectations of MZ and non-MZ users.