The Influence of Benefits and Trust on Consumers’ Attitudes towards Artificial Intelligence: The Moderating Role of Threats

Iršič Matjaž () and Gjergjek Tomaž ()
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Iršič Matjaž: University of Maribor, Faculty of Economics and Business, Department of Marketing, Maribor, Slovenia
Gjergjek Tomaž: University of Maribor, Faculty of Economics and Business, Department of Marketing, Maribor, Slovenia

Organizacija, 2025, vol. 58, issue 2, 138-157

Abstract: Background/Purpose This article explores consumers’ perception of the benefits of intelligent service robots (ISR) in the purchasing process, their trust in artificial intelligence (AI), their perception of AI-related threats, and the impact of these variables on consumer attitudes toward AI. Additionally, the study examines the moderating effect of perceived AI-related threats on the relationship between perceived benefits and trust on one side and the formation of consumer attitudes toward AI on the other. Methods The research was conducted in the first half of 2024 on a judgmental sample of 224 employed consumers in the Republic of Slovenia. Data were collected through a structured online questionnaire. For the empirical analysis, a non-parametric approach using SEM-PLS modelling was applied to examine relationships between the studied research constructs. Results The findings indicate that perceived benefits of ISR have a strong and positive impact on consumer attitudes toward AI, while perceived AI-related threats strongly and negatively influence these attitudes. Moreover, the results reveal that perceived AI-related threats significantly and negatively moderate the effect of consumers’ perceived trust in AI on the formation of their attitudes toward AI. Conclusion The results of this study contribute significantly to the theoretical understanding of employed consumers’ attitudes toward AI. They also provide practical implications for companies in developing predictive models of consumer behaviour and defining effective marketing strategies to encourage AI adoption in the purchasing process.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI); Consumer attitudes; Perceived AI-related threats; Perceived benefits of intelligent service robots (ISR); Perceived consumer trust (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: M21 M31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:vrs:organi:v:58:y:2025:i:2:p:138-157:n:1003

DOI: 10.2478/orga-2025-0009

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