Who Uses Conversational AI and Why? Distinct User Profiles and TheirLinks to Personality, Attachment, and Well-Being
summary:
With the increasing use of conversational AI (CAI) agents, such as ChatGPT, public concern about their social implications has grown. Understanding these implications requires new knowledge about the increasingly diverse motives underlying CAI use, ranging from instrumental purposes, such as work, to personal purposes, including social support and entertainment. However, little is known about the motivational profiles underlying CAI use, how these profiles relate to personality traits and attachment dimensions, or whether they differ in well-being. To address this gap, we conducted a cross-sectional study with 783 CAI users (Mage = 43.46, SD = 13.58). Drawing on Uses and Gratifications (U & G) Theory, we measured key motivations underlying CAI use, including information seeking, task efficiency, personalization, social interaction, and playfulness, and subjected them to latent profile analysis to uncover distinct motivational profiles. Big Five personality traits (Extraversion, Neuroticism, Openness, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness) and attachment styles (Anxious and Avoidant) were examined as predictors of the user profiles. We measured emotional, social, and psychological well-being to understand if these aspects differed across the various user profiles. We identified four distinct profiles of CAI users: Occasional Information Seekers, Utilitarians, Social Engagers, and All-Round Engagers. Neuroticism, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Attachment anxiety were significant predictors of profile membership. Finally, profile membership was associated with all well-being indicators, with All-Round Engagers reporting the highest well-being across all three dimensions and Social Engagers reporting the lowest emotional and psychological well-being. These findings advance our understanding of who engages with CAI and how, with potential implications for well-being.