Machine Talk: How Verbal Embodiment in Conversational AI Shapes Consumer–Brand Relationships

Abstract

This research shows that AI-based conversational interfaces can have a profound impact on consumer-brand relationships. We develop a conceptual model of verbal embodiment in technology-mediated communication that integrates three key properties of human-to-human dialogue – (1) turn-taking (i.e., alternating contributions by the two parties), (2) turn-initiation (i.e., the act of initiating the next turn in a sequence), and (3) grounding between turns (i.e., acknowledging the other party’s contribution by restating or rephrasing it). These fundamental conversational properties systematically shape consumers’ perception of an AI-based conversational interface, their perception of the brand that the interface represents, and their behavior in connection with that brand. Converging evidence from four studies shows that these dialogue properties enhance the perceived humanness of the interface, which in turn promotes more intimate consumer-brand relationships and more favorable behavioral brand outcomes (greater recommendation acceptance, willingness to pay a price premium, brand advocacy, and brand loyalty). Moreover, we show that these effects are reduced in contexts requiring less mutual understanding between the consumer and the brand. This research highlights how fundamental principles of human-to-human communication can be harnessed to design more intimate consumer-brand interactions in an increasingly AI-driven marketplace.

MindMiner: Uncovering linguistic markers of mind perception as a new lens to understand consumer–smart object relationships

“…Second, zooming in on mind perception, our findings also provide a more nuanced understanding on how the attribution of a mind toward nonhuman agents goes beyond mere visual anthropomorphic appearance (Bergner et al, 2023;Schmitt, 2019;Yang et al, 2020). While mind perception can be considered an aspect of anthropomorphism, recent theoretical work suggests that anthropomorphism may exist on a continuum (Yang et al, 2020) ranging from shallow forms of anthropomorphism that is predominantly based on visual similarities to humans (e.g., facial features; Aggarwal & McGill, 2007) to deeper forms of anthropomorphism based on similar human mental capacities, such as the ability to think and have a conscious experience (Gray et al, 2007;.…”

“…How to cite this article: Hartmann, J., Bergner, A., & Hildebrand, C. (2023). MindMiner: Uncovering linguistic markers of mind perception as a new lens to understand consumer-smart object relationships.…”

Information Disclosure in the Era of Voice Technology

“…In multiturn interactions, interlocutors engage in back-and-forth turn-taking, taking information received into account for the following turn (e.g., Burggräf et al 2022; Ke et al 2022). For instance, conversations with text or voice-based chatbots constitute instances of multiturn interactions (Bergner, Hildebrand, and Häubl 2019; Dellaert et al 2020; Luo et al 2019). In these types of interactions, technology acts as a conversational agent.…”

The Power of AI-Generated Voices: How Digital Vocal Tract Length Shapes Product Congruency and Ad Performance

“…Relatedly, presenting product choices through a voice-based (vs. text-based) interaction can increase cognitive difficulty in information processing, leading to detrimental effects for consumers (Munz 2020; for a more detailed review on the effects of interacting with different modalities, see King, Auschaitrakul, and Lin [2022]). However, enhancing the verbal abilities of conversational agents, such as increasing the extent of signaling mutual understanding or grounding, can lead to more intimate consumer-brand interactions (Bergner, Hildebrand, and Häubl 2023).…”