THE EFFECT OF AI ON CONSUMER EXPERIENCE, ENGAGEMENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA THROUGH THE MEDIATING ROLE OF CHATBOTS, VIRTUAL INFLUENCERS, AND AUGMENTED REALITY

This research aims to examine the effect of AI on consumer experience in social media (measured by cognitive, emotional, physical, sensorial, and social elements), and consumer engagement on social media through the mediating role of chatbots, virtual influencers, and augmented reality. This study follows the positivist philosophy. Quantitative research relies on consistent assumptions based on the positivist model, the behavior of the research subject, and analysis. The data were collected via a questionnaire for the tourism booking websites. The findings indicate that artificial intelligence (AI) demonstrates partial significance in shaping overall consumer experience, while its direct effect on consumer engagement is insignificant. However, AI shows strong and significant positive effects on Chatbots, Virtual Influencers, and Augmented Reality. In turn, Chatbots significantly enhance consumer engagement, while Virtual Influencers and Augmented Reality significantly improve consumer engagement as well. The results also reveal varying mediation patterns: Chatbots partially mediate the effect of AI on both consumer experience and engagement; Virtual Influencers provide full mediation for both outcomes; and Augmented Reality exhibits partial mediation for both consumer experience and engagement. These findings collectively highlight the critical roles of AI-enabled interactive technologies, particularly virtual influencers in shaping consumer experience and engagement.