Factors influencing older adults’ intention to use social chatbots: Examining technology acceptance, anthropomorphism, authenticity, and artificial intelligence social interaction

Abstract Background and Objectives Despite emerging evidence showing that older adults have begun engaging social chatbots for companionship in recent years, little is known about the factors influencing their adoption decisions. We developed an age-friendly social chatbot and examined older adults’ intention to use it by integrating the Senior Technology Acceptance Model (STAM) with socio-relational factors relevant to human-artificial intelligence (AI) interaction. Research Design and Methods A final sample of 140 community-dwelling older adults interacted with the chatbot for approximately 20 minutes and then completed questionnaires assessing their attitudes toward the chatbot, perceptions of the chatbot, and their intention to use it in daily life. Results Higher control belief (e.g., perceived ease of use and facilitating conditions), one of the STAM factors, predicted higher intention to use the chatbot among older adults, whereas higher self-rated health predicted lower intention. Importantly, the stronger the socio-relational factors (e.g., authenticity; AI social interaction intensity), the higher the intention to use. However, higher levels of anthropomorphism of the chatbot predicted lower intention to use. Incorporating socio-relational factors into the STAM framework accounted for an additional proportion of variance, comparable to STAM factors alone. Discussion and Implications Our findings suggest that control belief, authenticity, and social interaction intensity with social chatbots are key drivers of adoption intention among older adults. Unmet needs in life may also drive chatbot engagement. However, overly human-like chatbots may deter adoption. Taken together, integrating human-AI interaction factors with the STAM framework is essential when evaluating older adults’ adoption of social chatbots.