Leyla Sutton, “Effect of Anthropomorphism in AI on Human Behavior”
Mentor: Scott Shanke, Business
Poster #169

In recent years, there has been an increased use of artificial intelligence, such as chatbots, in the service industry. Chatbots are used as customer-service agents, managers, loan officers, etc. As the use of AI becomes more widespread, it is important to be conscious of information disclosure caused by programmed artificial intelligence. This study focuses on the level of anthropomorphism a chatbot may express when interacting with a user, and the amount of information that is divulged to the AI accordingly. Anthropomorphism is the level a chatbot is similar to a human and imitates human behavior. In this study, multiple chat bots were created, with differing levels of anthropomorphism. The level of anthropomorphism as well as the user’s willingness to give out information is tracked through bot use. These chatbots were given to organizations who agreed to host the bots on their website. Data is still being collected, however, there seems to be a trend, the higher the anthropomorphism in a chatbot, the more likely the user is to divulge sensitive information. This study also hopes to observe intention outcomes and see if customers respond to a follow up from the same organization. In doing so, we will be able to identify subsequent purchase intent, highlighting the effectiveness of anthropomorphism on future customer action.