Hello Alexa! Exploring effects of motivational factors and social presence on satisfaction with artificial intelligence-enabled gadgets

From requesting Alexa to set a reminder to asking Google Assistant to make a call, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled voice assistants are quickly melding into our lives. This study aims to understand why users interact with a voice assistant system. Results from an online survey identified four types of motivations underlying the use of voice assistants: entertainment, companionship, dynamic control, and functional utility. Results showed that functional utility and dynamic control were positively related to users' satisfaction, while companionship and entertainment were not. The effect of social presence on users' satisfaction was also explored. The moderation analyses showed that social presence not only had a main effect but also played a significant role in increasing satisfaction among the users who perceived low levels of functional utility and dynamic control. This study advances a growing body of human–AI interaction literature by demonstrating the underlying mechanism behind voice assistants' use. Practical and theoretical implications are also discussed.