The role of essentialist beliefs about aging in middle-aged and older adults’ intention to use AI: a technology acceptance model approach

As artificial intelligence (AI) emerges as a tool to address aging-related challenges, this study examined how essentialist beliefs about aging relate to intention to use AI among middle-aged and older adults in rural China, focusing on perceived AI usefulness and perceived ease of use. A survey of 526 participants assessed essentialist beliefs about aging, perceived AI usefulness, perceived ease of using AI, and intention to use AI. Moderated mediation analyses were conducted, controlling for demographic and health variables. Essentialist beliefs about aging were negatively associated with AI use intention. The association was mediated by perceived AI usefulness and perceived ease of using AI. Socioeconomic status (SES) moderated the associations between essentialist beliefs and each mediator, as well as between the mediators and AI use intention: the indirect and sequential associations were significant among individuals with lower SES but not among those with higher SES. Essentialist beliefs about aging were associated with lower intention to use AI through perceived usefulness and ease of use, particularly among low-SES residents. These findings suggest that psychological and socioeconomic factors shaping AI adoption in rural aging populations.