Resistance to an assistant was linked to risk more than to intrusiveness
Among 419 people in China, perceived intrusiveness was not directly linked to resistance. A relationship appeared through perceived risk.
The key idea
There was no direct relationship between feeling intruded upon and resistance. Perceiving greater risk did coincide with greater resistance to trying a voice assistant.
The study, in plain language
Some people worry that a voice assistant intrudes too much on their privacy. To understand how this concern connects to willingness to try the technology, the team asked separately how invasive and how risky it seemed.
Perceived intrusiveness showed no clear direct relationship with resistance. An indirect relationship did appear through perceived risk. Among those who saw the assistant as more human, the connection between intrusiveness and risk was weaker, though it remained.
The relationship between risk and resistance also varied according to how much information people felt they were receiving. Responses described several connected concerns, not a single reaction to the assistant.
What they found
- On its own, privacy concern showed no direct relationship with resistance to trying an assistant.
- When use seemed riskier, resistance was also greater.
- When the assistant seemed more human, the relationship between privacy concern and perceived risk was weaker.
Something to think about
When using a voice assistant, what holds you back: a specific risk or the feeling that it intrudes on your space? They can be different things.
How they studied it
An online survey of 419 people in China who were familiar with AI voice assistants. The team compared their responses about privacy, risk, and resistance to trying them to see which factors went together, without intervening. Because the survey was cross-sectional and based on self-reports, it cannot establish a causal sequence.
What the study cannot show
- An online sample in China, concentrated among younger people with access to and knowledge of the technology; a one-time self-reported questionnaire; and, as the article notes, a general assessment of information without distinguishing its type.
- That a more human voice eliminates privacy risks, that informing users causes them to accept a product, or that these associations represent people who do not use voice assistants, other countries, or voice assistants generally today.
The original study
A study on innovation resistance of artificial intelligence voice assistants based on privacy infringement and risk perception
Source under CC BY 4.0. English adaptation and explanation by PaperFlow, with AI assistance. The text has been reorganized for a general audience; it is not the complete paper and does not imply endorsement by its authors.
One study alone does not represent a field's consensus. Educational content does not replace professional advice. Report a possible error.
