AI 챗봇에 대한 유능성 인식이 브랜드 태도에 미치는 영향 연구: 챗봇 자기 효능감의 매개 효과를 중심으로

This study aims to investigate the effect of consumers’ perception of AI chatbot competence on brand attitude and to examine whether chatbot self-efficacy serves as a mediating mechanism in this process. Furthermore, the study explores the generalizability and boundary conditions of this relationship by considering chatbot usage experience and cultural context. To this end, an online survey was conducted using an AI shampoo chatbot interaction scenario. The results show that perceived AI chatbot competence had a signific-ant positive effect on chatbot self-efficacy, which in turn significantly enhanced brand attitude. The mediating role of chatbot self-efficacy was confirmed, indicating that when consumers perceive a chatbot as competent, they are more likely to feel confident in utilizing the chatbot effectively, which strengthens the related brand evaluation. These findings suggest that chatbot self-efficacy is a key psychological mediator in shaping consumer responses within competence-oriented AI chatbot interaction contexts. By introducing chatbot self-efficacy as a novel theoretical variable that links technical perceptions to brand-related outcomes, this study contributes to the advancement of research in both human-computer interaction (HCI) and digital marketing domains.