AI Literacy and University Students’ Adoption Intention Toward ChatGPT in Coding Activities: Evidence From a Perceived‐Value Perspective

ABSTRACT Higher education has witnessed growing integration of generative AI platforms, with ChatGPT becoming a commonly leveraged resource for programming tasks. However, students’ behavioral responses to these technologies remain underexplored, particularly from a value‐based adoption perspective. Drawing on the value‐based adoption model (VAM) extended with AI literacy as an antecedent, this study examines how AI literacy shapes perceived usefulness, enjoyment, risk, and fee, which in turn influence perceived value and ultimately ChatGPT use intention among students engaged in coding activities. Survey data were obtained from 250 undergraduates enrolled in information technology programs at a private university in the Mekong Delta, and the data were analyzed using PLS‐SEM. The findings indicate that perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment positively influence perceived value, whereas perceived risk and perceived fee exert negative effects. Perceived value, in turn, has a strong positive effect on use intention. AI literacy significantly increases perceived usefulness and enjoyment, reduces perceived risk, and is also associated with lower perceived fee, suggesting that more AI‐literate students may perceive the monetary barrier of ChatGPT as less salient in this context. Overall, students with stronger AI literacy tend to evaluate generative AI tools more positively by perceiving higher functional benefits, lower risks, and less burdensome monetary barriers. Practical implications suggest that higher education institutions should strengthen AI literacy initiatives and promote responsible ChatGPT use to help students make more informed judgments about its benefits, risks, and affordability in programming education.