How Does Interacting with AI Versus Human Agents Influence Consumer Identity-Based Choices? The Roles of Distinctiveness and Assimilation Motives
研究发现，与AI（vs.人类）代理人互动会激活消费者的区分（vs.同化）需求，从而更偏好独特（vs.主流）产品，且当身份动机显著或产品为私用时效果减弱。
Although artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated in sales frontiers, its role as a social actor remains underexplored. Adopting a social interaction perspective, we examine how interacting with AI (vs. human) agents influences consumers’ identity motives and product preferences. Seven preregistered studies (N = 2,900) reveal that AI (vs. human) agents activate need for differentiation (vs. assimilation), increasing preferences for distinctive (vs. mainstream) products. These effects diminish when identity motives are made salient or when products are intended for private (vs. public) use. These findings advance understanding of AI-human differences and guide firms’ agent deployment and recommendation strategies.