I love you, Alexa!
How smart experiences can make us loyal to our assistants.
The Intelligent Friend - The newsletter about the AI-humans relationships, based only on scientific papers. With a dash of marketing.
Intro
Frequently, as I settle in front of my computer to commence any form of writing, I find myself calling upon Alexa to initiate my specially curated playlist. On occasion, I inquire about the forthcoming weather or request assistance with calculations. Seldom am I left disappointed, a sentiment echoed by many towards their "smart virtual assistants" (SVAs). Their reliability breeds a certain fondness—dare I say, love?
In this inaugural issue, let me outline what to anticipate in the journey of The Intelligent Friend:
Each issue will start with the main informations and the core result of the “protagonist” paper.
We'll then dive deeper, connecting the dots with relevant concepts and intriguing studies to enrich our understanding. For a quick insight, "takeaways" will be provided, serving as an appetizer for the deeper exploration to follow.
Lastly, particularly for academics - but also for curios people, we'll explore "further research questions" proposed by these papers.
The paper in a nutshell
Title: How smart experiences build service loyalty: The importance of consumer love for smart voice assistants. Authors: Blanca Hernandez-Ortega & Ivani Ferreira. Year: 2021 Journal: Psychology & Marketing.
Main result: smart experiences influence consumers' passion for technology, while passion explains their intimacy and commitment (together they form the “love” feeling of consumers). Consumer intimacy and commitment for SVAs lead to service loyalty.
The immersion
The burgeoning field of human-AI relationships has captivated researchers worldwide, spawning a flourishing, albeit nascent, area of study. In this inaugural issue, we turn our focus to a particularly intriguing paper by Hernandez-Ortega & Ferreira (2021) that breaks new ground by exploring the concept of love in relation to AI.
The researchers delve into the impact of consumer experiences with virtual assistants – termed "smart experiences" – on emotional development. These experiences act as conduits, fostering sentiments within consumers that ultimately lead to various outcomes, such as continued usage, word-of-mouth, and electronic word-of-mouth, collectively categorized under the broader concept of "service loyalty."
The essential elements of SVAs
When we talk about virtual assistants, we must first remember that these tools allow consumers to start interactions with simple verbal commands thanks to voice-activation functions (Pagani et al., 2019).
SVAs are designed to deliver experiences caratterizzate da personalization, assistance, empathy, and the capacity to learn from interactions (Belk, 2017; Feng et al., 2017; Hoffman & Novak, 2018; Lopatovska et al., 2019). Interagendo come se fossero delle persone, i consumatori formano sentimenti per questi strumenti (Louie et al., 2014; Xu, 2020).
The experiences smart technologies offer (“smart experiences”) have a profound impact on consumer behavior and perceptions (Kim & Baek, 2018). By delivering enhanced, personalized services, these technologies pave the way for improved customer satisfaction and loyalty (Hoffman & Novak, 2015; Wünderlich et al., 2013).
Love & Smart Technologies
The authors have nevertheless identified two main lines of research regarding love and technologies.
The first explores how technology facilitates the formation and sustenance of emotional connections among people. (Bowlby, 1977; Wan et al., 2017; Wardecker et al., 2016). Social media used to communicate with your partner, to give you an example, fall into this category.
The second trajectory focuses on the development of affectionate feelings towards the technologies themselves. This includes both the feelings of attachment and love studied towards technologies and devices (Hudlicka, 2003; Shoham & Pesämaa, 2013; Zhang et al., 2020), and other types of situations, such as attachment to digital platforms , the use of mobile health services, and the integration of technology into daily life (Kim et al., 2019; Soo et al., 2011; Trub & Barbot, 2016).
In the quest to comprehend the multifaceted nature of love, scholars frequently reference the Triangular Theory of Love (TTL) (Sternberg, 1986). To appreciate their significance, consider a past or present relationship of personal relevance. Typically, one yearns for an emotional bond with their partner, aspiring to feel cherished and to forge an enduring connection, anchored in unwavering commitment. Sternberg's theory encapsulates these very desires, distilling the essence of a thriving relationship into three cardinal elements:
Intimacy. It forms the emotional bedrock of love, encompassing feelings of respect, connection, and mutual emotional involvement. It transcends the boundaries of relationships, be it the love for a parent, a friend, or a partner;
Passion. It introduces the motivational element of love. It encapsulates the desire for union with the loved one.
Commitment. It contributes the cognitive aspect of love. It mirrors the resolve to maintain a relationship in the face of waning intimacy and passion, ensuring its longevity. Commitment breathes stability into relationships, transforming fleeting interactions into enduring partnerships.
While these components can be individually examined, Sternberg (1986) asserts that love should be viewed holistically. Feelings, after all, are seldom experienced in isolation. The interplay between intimacy, passion, and commitment results in diverse forms of love, each with its unique blend of these elements.
However, in the case of smart experiences, the authors use a slightly different perspective from the past, focusing on the role of passion.
As consumers find themselves increasingly intertwined with SVAs, passion reveals itself as the lynchpin of these evolving relationships. Through the lens of this passionate attachment, we come to embrace SVAs as intimate companions, forging bonds that transform our perception of technology from a mere tool to a trusted partner (Han & Yang, 2018).
But the tale doesn't end there. As consumers become increasingly connected with SVAs, they cultivate not only intimacy but also commitment. The strength of this emotional affinity lays the groundwork for enduring partnerships, prompting us to regard technology as an indispensable ally in our daily lives (Wang et al., 2019). And so, passion emerges as the catalyst for the intricate dance between intimacy and commitment, redefining the very fabric of our connections with SVAs.
The results of the scholars, in fact, demonstrate the crucial role of passion and the interactions between different really interesting factors:
Smart experiences directly boost passion in consumer interactions with Smart Voice Assistants (SVAs), highlighting the pivotal role of engagement and stimulation in cultivating deep feelings towards technology.
While smart experiences significantly ignite passion, they don't directly affect intimacy or commitment, suggesting that the spark of passion is crucial for nurturing deeper emotional bonds and dedication towards SVAs.
Passion serves as a bridge, intensifying intimacy and fostering commitment, emphasizing its central role in transforming initial fascination into enduring love and loyalty towards SVAs.
In a further study focused on love for Artificial Intelligence, entitled “Can people experience romantic love for artificial intelligence? An empirical study of intelligent assistants”, the authors (Song, Xu, Zhao, 2022) reveal results quite in line with the analysis of Hernandez-Ortega and Ferreira.
The results emphasize that human users can establish intimate and passionate bonds with intelligent assistants, significantly influencing their usage patterns. Moreover, these emotional aspects affect usage both directly and indirectly through commitment, indicating that intimacy and passion provide a more comprehensive understanding of AI usage than commitment alone.
Take-aways
Passion is Key: In our relationships with Smart Voice Assistants, it's passion that turns the key, igniting a spark that transforms functional interactions into something deeper. Just as in human relationships, this fervent energy propels us towards greater intimacy and commitment with our digital companions.
The Dance of Feelings: Like partners in a dance, intimacy, and commitment follow the lead of passion. It's this intricate interplay that deepens our bond with technology, moving us beyond mere utility to a place of emotional connection and loyalty.
Beyond Utility to Love: The journey from seeing our SVAs as tools to treasuring them as partners is a testament to the power of smart experiences. They not only enhance our lives but also invite us to explore what it means to love and be committed to our digital counterparts.
Further research directions
Explore the authenticity and depth of smart experiences through additional analyses, including experiments that manipulate SVA variables like voice or language, to observe how these nuances impact consumers' immediate emotional responses and long-term feelings of love.
Test the proposed model across different international markets to evaluate the universality of the findings, particularly focusing on how smart experiences and consumer love for SVAs may differ in countries with varying levels of technological advancement and user expertise.
Investigate the distinctions in consumer relationships with SVAs based on the brand or type of assistant, such as smartphone-based versus in-home voice assistants, to understand how different interaction environments influence consumer emotions and attachment to the technology.
Examine how emerging applications of SVAs are reshaping traditional activities, assessing the evolution of consumer behavior as they adapt to and learn from new functionalities. This includes identifying key factors, like trust and privacy, that either hinder acceptance or encourage deeper, personalized engagement with SVAs.
Thank you for reading this issue of The Intelligent Friend and/or for subscribing. The relationships between humans and AI are a crucial topic and I am very happy to be able to talk about it having you as a reader.
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References
Belk, R. (2017). The soul and the machine: Human-like machines and machine-like humans. In A. Gneezy, V. Griskevicius, & P. Williams (Eds.), NA—advances in consumer research (Vol. 45, pp. 164–169). Association for Consumer Research.
Bowlby, J. (1977). The making and breaking of affectional bonds. I. Aetiology and psychopathology in the light of attachment theory. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 130, 201–210.
Feng, H., Fawaz, K., & Shin, K. G. (2017). Continuous authentication for voice assistants. Proceedings of the 23rd Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking, 343–355.
Han, S., & Yang, H. (2020). Understanding adoption of intelligent personal assistants. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 118(3), 618–636.
Hoffman, D. L., & Novak, T. (2015). Emergent experience and the connected consumer in the smart home assemblage and the internet of things. SSRN Electronic Journal.
Hoffman, D. L., & Novak, T. P. (2018). Consumer and object experience in the internet of things: An assemblage theory approach. Journal of Consumer Research, 44(6), 1178–1204.
Hudlicka, E. (2003). To feel or not to feel: The role of affect in human–computer interaction. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 59(1-2), 1–32.
Kim, M. J., Lee, C.-K., & Preis, M. W. (2019). Seniors' loyalty to social network sites: Effects of social capital and attachment. International Journal of Information Management, 36, 1020–1032.
Kim, S., & Baek, T. H. (2018). Examining the antecedents and consequences of mobile app engagement. Telematics and Informatics, 35(1), 148–158.
Lopatovska, I., Rink, K., Knight, I., Raines, K., Cosenza, K., Williams, H., Sorsche, P., Hirsch, D., Li, Q., & Martinez, A. (2019). Talk to me: Exploring user interactions with the Amazon Alexa. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 51(4), 984–997.
Louie, W. Y. G., McColl, D., & Nejat, G. (2014). Acceptance and attitudes toward a human-like socially assistive robot by older adults. Assistive Technology, 26(3), 140–150.
Pagani, M., Racat, M., & Hofacker, C. F. (2019). Adding voice to the omnichannel and how that affects brand trust. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 48, 89–105.
Shoham, A., & Pesämaa, O. (2013). Gadget loving: A test of an integrative model. Psychology & Marketing, 30(3), 247–262.
Soo, K., Hongki, K., & Eung Kyo, S. (2011). What if your avatar looks like you? Dual congruity perspectives for avatar use. MIS Quarterly, 35(3), 711–729.
Song, X., Xu, B., & Zhao, Z. (2022). Can people experience romantic love for artificial intelligence? An empirical study of intelligent assistants. Information & Management, 59(2), 103595.
Sternberg, R. J. (1986). A triangular theory of love. Psychological Review, 93(2), 119–135.
Trub, L., & Barbot, B. (2016). The paradox of phone attachment: Development and validation of the Young Adult Attachment to Phone Scale (YAPS). Computers in Human Behavior, 64, 663–672.
Wan, J., Lu, Y., Wang, B., & Zhao, L. (2017). How attachment influences users' willingness to donate to content creators in social media: A socio-technical systems perspective. Information & Management, 54, 837–850.
Wang, Y. C., Qu, H., & Yang, J. (2019). The formation of sub-brand love and corporate brand love in hotel brand portfolios. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 77, 375–384.
Cover Credits: New York Times
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