The persuasive effect of AI-synthesized voices

• Main Authors: CHANG, Hannah H., MUKHERJEE, Anirban
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2023
• Subjects: Artificial Intelligence and Robotics; Business and Corporate Communications; Marketing
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/7417; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/lkcsb_research/article/8416/viewcontent/ANZMAC2023_av.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology seeks to emulate humans. One aspect is AI-synthesized voices, used in voice assistants (such as Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, and Google Assistant) to assistive technologies (such as voiceover narration in product videos). For example, there are currently more than 3.25 billion voice assistants; a number that is expected to touch about 8 billion by next year (i.e., 2023) (Statista 2022). With the extensive availability and enhanced accuracy of AI-synthesized voices, consumer research is starting to examine the impact of AI-synthesized voices on consumer information processing and decision making. The extant literature, however, is relatively limited because voice technology is still relatively new. The effect of sound and voice on consumer behavior remains fairly scarce (Dahl 2010). In this research, we posit that the use of more narrating AI voices should prompt consumers to process the overall spoken message in a more cognitively effortful manner compared to the use of a single AI voice in persuasive videos. We examine the implications of this phenomenon on consumer purchase likelihood and delineate the consumer contexts and conditions in which it is likely to aid/hinder purchase. We test our predictions in four experiments, spanning different decision domains, product categories, and outcomes.