Acceptance of technological agency: Beyond the perception of utilitarian value

Abstract Using an agency lens, this paper discusses a special human-computer relation, namely technological agency, in which users delegate social tasks to autonomous computing-artifacts (i.e., technological agents) who act on behalf of the users in the social sphere. In this respect, users treat the technological agents differently from traditional computer-enabled tools and assess them from a relational perspective. We argue that control and restrictiveness together shape users’ perceived relation with technological agents and influence their acceptance, in addition to their perceived utilitarian value of the technology. An experiment using a delegated e-negotiation scenario was conducted. Overall, the results support the above proposition.

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