Beyond intention: Investigating the dynamics of AI tool usage and purchase behavior in scientific research

As in many other fields, the use of AI tools in scientific research has attracted great interest among scholars. However, evidence regarding the factors that influence the use of AI tools by scholars in scientific research is fragmented and context dependent. Moreover, it is also underexamined to what extent these factors are necessary for the use of AI tools in academic research. Therefore, this study investigates the factors influencing scholars’ behavioral intention, use behavior and purchase behavior regarding AI tools, and assesses the degree to which each factor is necessary. For this purpose, data were collected from 557 scholars to investigate their intentions to use AI tools, use behavior, and purchase behavior from the perspectives of UTAUT2, personal innovativeness, and perceived ethics. PLS-SEM results revealed that performance expectancy and habit had the strongest positive impact on behavioral intention. Facilitating conditions and behavioral intention impact use behavior, while use behavior and price value positively affect purchase behavior. Furthermore, the Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) was conducted by using the findings obtained from PLS-SEM, and the level of necessity of each factor with a significant effect on scholars’ intentions to use AI tools, use behavior, and purchase behavior was revealed.