hh.sePublications
Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Human-Like Chatbot: A quantitative study of the emotional response toward human-to-machine interaction
Halmstad University, School of Business, Innovation and Sustainability.
2023 (English)Independent thesis Basic level (degree of Bachelor), 10 credits / 15 HE creditsStudent thesis
Abstract [en]

Problem formulation: The problem that the thesis research relates to is the limitations of artificially intelligent chatbots as interlocutors. The emotional component of communication plays an essential role in the customer experience, but many users have a negative attitude toward chatbots due to their lack of humanity and empathy. The potential of the new ChatGPT in changing user attitudes toward chatbots is also being explored. However, the limited data available on recent versions of ChatGPT presents an additional challenge for research in this area. 

Purpose: Our study aims to study people's emotional responses to human-like chatbots and their impact on user satisfaction. We also explore whether human likeness is a crucial driver of chatbot preference and how the new ChatGPT can change user attitudes toward them in a positive way. 

Theoretical framework: The study's theoretical framework considers various aspects of using chatbots based on artificial intelligence (AI) in marketing. In this context, we observe ChatGPT as a revolutionary breakthrough in customer service, capable of improving customer experience and interaction with customer. We emphasise the emotional component of human-chatbot interactions, investigating customer emotions, attitudes, and trust, as well as the chatbot's capacity for empathy and human-like characteristics. Drawing from this theoretical exploration, we formulate four hypotheses to guide our research.

Methodology: This quantitative study involves 79 respondents aged 18 years and over. The online survey was conducted using social media for dissemination. The empirical data obtained were coded and analysed using the SPSS program. 

Empirical findings: Our study confirms the hypothesis of diverse emotional responses (H4) and a generally neutral emotional response during chatbot interactions (H3). We also find partial support for the presence of negative emotions (H2), but not for consistent positive emotions (H1). The data indicate a range of emotional responses, highlighting the complexity of human reactions to chatbots.

Conclusion: Our research provides an overall picture of users' emotional responses to interactions with chatbots. Users show a variety of emotions, mostly neutral, which can change depending on the interaction. We also discovered the potential of the new ChatGPT in changing user attitudes towards chatbots in a more positive or neutral direction. The study also uncovers factors influencing users' emotional responses, such as age, attitudes, and past experiences. The results can be used to develop more effective marketing and business strategies for interacting with chatbots. 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2023. , p. 56
Keywords [en]
Digital Marketing, Chatbot, Emotion, Empathy, Humanlike, Human-to-machine interaction, ChatGPT
National Category
Engineering and Technology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-50501OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hh-50501DiVA, id: diva2:1761098
Subject / course
Business
Educational program
The International Marketing Programme, 180 credits
Presentation
2023-05-23, Halmstad, 10:15 (English)
Supervisors
Examiners
Available from: 2023-06-16 Created: 2023-05-31 Last updated: 2023-06-16Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

fulltext(1643 kB)551 downloads
File information
File name FULLTEXT02.pdfFile size 1643 kBChecksum SHA-512
2f4937fb48fc2e05176d746e7cd123c13d7b01dc4ca0928705cca427e5a094d3a5708f77aa83ce5e5dc86013f2ca0fec8b4e80b97322cbb6e4bafbbd3dc5a29f
Type fulltextMimetype application/pdf

By organisation
School of Business, Innovation and Sustainability
Engineering and Technology

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar
Total: 551 downloads
The number of downloads is the sum of all downloads of full texts. It may include eg previous versions that are now no longer available

urn-nbn

Altmetric score

urn-nbn
Total: 1027 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf