AI and technology · 1 min read

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.

How we make these readings

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.

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.

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.

The original study

A study on innovation resistance of artificial intelligence voice assistants based on privacy infringement and risk perception

PLOS ONE, 20(4), e0320431 · DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0320431. Published .

Study authors (1)

Shanshan Liu; Yongseok Cheon; Jong-Yoon Lee; Minglu Wang; Ning Liu; Mudassir Khan

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0320431

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.