The continuous usage of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered mobile fitness applications: the goal-setting theory perspective
Industrial Management & Data Systems
ISSN: 0263-5577
Article publication date: 23 May 2023
Issue publication date: 29 May 2023
Abstract
Purpose
Due to the popularity of mobile devices and the development of artificial intelligence (AI), AI-powered mobile fitness applications (MFAs) have entered people's daily lives. However, the extant literature lacks empirical investigations that explore users' continuance usage intentions regarding AI-powered MFAs. To fill this research gap, this paper employs goal-setting theory to establish a research model for exploring how AI-enabled features (i.e. intelligence and anthropomorphism) affect users' perceptions of goal difficulties and goal specificities, which in turn affect their MFA continuance usage intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses a survey method to analyze the research model, and a total of 223 responses are collected. The partial least squares (PLS) technique is utilized for data analysis.
Findings
The results show that intelligence and anthropomorphism affect the continuance usage intention of MFA users through their goal difficulty and specificity. Both intelligence and anthropomorphism positively influence goal specificity, whereas they negatively affect goal difficulty. In addition, goal specificity increases users' MFA continuance usage intention, whereas goal difficulty decreases users' continuance usage intention. The findings of this study provide theoretical contributions for AI technology adoption research and offer practical strategies for firms to retain MFA users.
Originality/value
Based on goal-setting theory, this study reveals that as two primary AI features of contemporary mobile fitness apps, intelligence and anthropomorphism, can increase comprehension of users' perceptions regarding goal difficulty and specificity in the context of users' continuance usage intentions toward AI-powered MFAs.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the reviewers for their valuable and constructive comments and suggestions, which helped them enhance the quality of this manuscript. The authors also thank Mr Jiaze Liu for his assistance in preparing this manuscript.
Citation
Lee, J.-C. and Lin, R. (2023), "The continuous usage of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered mobile fitness applications: the goal-setting theory perspective", Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 123 No. 6, pp. 1840-1860. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-10-2022-0602
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited