Virtual assistants, defined as applications that rely on artificial intelligence (AI) to understand voice command and carry out tasks for users, are becoming increasingly accessible around the globe and especially within the context of families with young children. A similar picture has been illustrated through the robotic housemaid 'Rosie' in the animated US-sitcom The Jetsons back in the early 60s. Now, project Rosie is set out to contribute meaningful knowledge about the acceptance of virtual assistants in families. To address this objective, we bridge multiple theories – one of individual differences in media effects, and one of AI approach, adoption, and trust – across three empirical investigations (cross-sectional survey; large-scale content analysis; longitudinal data donation) to robustly understand the process of acceptance and trust formation with VAs in families. Using a preregistered open-science framework, we hope to form implications for future work on technological trust formation that will stretch beyond the domain of Virtual Assistants.
Jessica Taylor Piotrowski, Theo Araujo, Annemarie van Oosten, Rebecca Wald (September 20)
