The role of values and ethics in influencing consumers’ intention to use autonomous vehicle hailing services

Lixian Qian, Juelin Yin, Youlin Huang and Ya Liang

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2023, vol. 188, issue C

Abstract: With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous vehicles (AVs) represent a major revolutionary trend leading to a long-term transition in mobility. Despite the uncertainty and controversy over AV ethics, however, little attention has been paid to the role of consumer ethics in their decision-making process for adopting AVs. By adopting behavioral reasoning theory (BRT), this paper investigates the antecedents and mechanisms influencing consumers’ intention to use AV hailing services from the perspectives of personal values, reasons, and ethics. Based on a survey from an online sample platform, this study finds that consumers’ ethical attitudes to AVs (i.e., using EVs is ethical or not) is influenced by personal values (such as openness to change and security value) and their reasons for and against AVs. Further, consumers’ intention to use AV hailing services can be influenced by their ethical attitudes and the reasons for and against AVs. This study contributes to the literature on the adoption of AI-empowered smart products or service by revealing the role of consumer ethics as a key mediator in consumer decision-making processes. The results provide important public policy and managerial implications on regulating and managing the adoption of AVs.

Keywords: Autonomous vehicle (AV); AV hailing service; Ethical attitudes; Values; Behavioral reasoning theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:188:y:2023:i:c:s0040162522007880

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2022.122267

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