TY - GEN
T1 - Initiative Prompt by Design
T2 - 31st Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS 2025)
AU - Wang, Zhiqi
AU - Ouyang, ChenLu
N1 - Full text of this publication does not contain sufficient affiliation information. With consent from the author(s) concerned, the Research Unit(s) information for this record is based on the existing academic department affiliation of the author(s).
PY - 2025/8
Y1 - 2025/8
N2 - Generative AI can offer limited emotional support, yet how to design AI systems with innovative features to better assist users facing loneliness remains unclear. This study introduces a "Generative AI-Enabled Initiative Prompt", a novel feature that allows AI to proactively generate prompts beyond each response in a conversation. Then we investigate how, when, and why the attribute can influence perceived loneliness through dual pathways: emotional attachment and perceived intrusiveness. However, the effect of a generative AI-enabled initiative prompt might be diminished in facilitating loneliness reduction due to an unexpected perceived intrusiveness mechanism. We further introduce an individual difference variable, locus of control, which moderates the perceived intrusiveness pathways. An experimental study is conducted to validate these claims. Theoretically, this research advances understanding of generative AI-driven emotional support, while practically, it offers insights into designing GAI companion systems that balance proactive engagement and user comfort, shaping the future of AI-powered interactions. © (2025) by Association for Information Systems (AIS) All rights reserved.
AB - Generative AI can offer limited emotional support, yet how to design AI systems with innovative features to better assist users facing loneliness remains unclear. This study introduces a "Generative AI-Enabled Initiative Prompt", a novel feature that allows AI to proactively generate prompts beyond each response in a conversation. Then we investigate how, when, and why the attribute can influence perceived loneliness through dual pathways: emotional attachment and perceived intrusiveness. However, the effect of a generative AI-enabled initiative prompt might be diminished in facilitating loneliness reduction due to an unexpected perceived intrusiveness mechanism. We further introduce an individual difference variable, locus of control, which moderates the perceived intrusiveness pathways. An experimental study is conducted to validate these claims. Theoretically, this research advances understanding of generative AI-driven emotional support, while practically, it offers insights into designing GAI companion systems that balance proactive engagement and user comfort, shaping the future of AI-powered interactions. © (2025) by Association for Information Systems (AIS) All rights reserved.
KW - Emotional support
KW - GAI companion
KW - GAI conversational agent
KW - Generative AI-enabled initiative prompt
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105025134890
UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/pubmetrics.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105025134890&origin=recordpage
M3 - RGC 32 - Refereed conference paper (with host publication)
SN - 9798331327743
T3 - Americas Conference on Information Systems, AMCIS
SP - 2942
EP - 2946
BT - AMCIS 2025 Proceedings
PB - Association for Information Systems
Y2 - 14 August 2025 through 16 August 2025
ER -