Investigating the effects of branding and anthropomorphization on users perceptions of AI-powered chatbots

Abstract

The effect of branding and anthropomorphization on how consumers perceive AI-powered chatbots has drawn more attention from scholars and industry professionals. Understanding how these components affect key psychological constructs like warmth, competence, empathy, and willingness to recommend the use of the service are crucial for enhancing customer engagement strategies as businesses continue to include chatbots into customer service. In this thesis, the direct effects of branding and anthropomorphization on user perceptions are investigated, along with their mediating and moderating roles. Hypotheses are also put out. Three different chatbot interaction scenarios with different levels of branding and anthropomorphization were used in the experimental design. These scenarios were assigned to participants at random, and validated measures were used to determine how they perceived the chatbot. The proposed hypotheses were tested using statistical analysis, including mediation and moderation models. According to the results, the presence of branding in the presentation of the chatbot significantly increases the perceptions of competence and warmth, and anthropomorphization also contributes to positive effects. Another important factor was empathy, which mediated the relationship between competence, branding, and willingness for recommending the chatbot. The findings emphasize how essential human-like characteristics are to chatbot design in order to improve brand perception and encourage emotional engagement. Although the study offers helpful insight to businesses looking to improve their chatbot strategies, several findings imply that further research is necessary to fully understand how branding, anthropomorphization, and customer behavior interact. Along with suggestions for additional research, implications for theory and practice are explored.