The Power of Computer-Mediated Communication Theories in Explaining the Effect of Chatbot Introduction on User Experience
Frank Hendriks, Carol Xiaojuan Ou, Amin Khodabandeh Amiri, Sander Bockting
Abstract
Chatbots have increasingly penetrated our lives as their behavior growingly imitates a human interlocutor. This paper examines the effect of different methods of self-presentation of a chatbot on the end-user experience. An interlocutor in a computer-mediated communication (CMC) environment can either introduce itself as a chatbot, a human being, or choose not to identify itself. We conducted an experiment to compare these three methods in terms of end-user experience that comprises of social presence, perceived humanness, and service encounter satisfaction. Our data demonstrate that a chatbot that discloses its virtual identity is scored significantly lower for social presence and perceived humanness than other two choices of self-presentation. Key findings and the associated implications are discussed.