Humanizing Chatbots: The Impact of Verbal and Non-Verbal Cues on Social Presence, Trust, and Self-Disclosure

The increasing reliance on AI-driven conversational agents has transformed customer interactions, with chatbots playing a crucial role in service accessibility and personalized experiences. However, effective of personalization is contingent on customers’ willingness to engage in self-disclosure, influenced by perceived social presence and trust. This study examines how verbal anthropomorphic cues, specifically humor, impact users’ perception of social presence, trust, and self-disclosure within chatbot interactions. Grounded in Social Presence Theory (SPT) and the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, we propose a between-subjects experimental design to investigate these effects. This research contributes to theoretical advancements and practical applications in digital marketing and AI-human interaction.