When Artificial Intelligence Voices Human Concerns: The Paradoxical Effects of AI Voice on Climate Risk Perception and Pro-Environmental Behavioral Intention

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled text-to-speech transformation has been widely employed to deliver online information in various fields. However, few studies have investigated the effect of the AI voice in environmental risk communication, especially in the field of climate change, an issue that poses a severe threat to global public health. To address this gap, the current study examines how the AI voice impacts the persuasive outcome of climate-related information and the potential mechanism that underlies this process. Based on the social and affect heuristics of voice, we propose a serial mediation model to test the effect of climate-related information delivered by different voice types (AI voice vs. human voice) in eliciting risk perception and motivating pro-environmental behavioral intention. Through an online auditory experiment (N = 397), we found the following. First, the AI voice was as effective as the human voice in eliciting risk perception and motivating pro-environmental behavioral intention. Second, compared with human voice, the AI voice yielded a listener’s lower level of perceived identity oneness with the speaker, which decreased risk perception and subsequently inhibited pro-environmental behavioral intention. Third, compared with human voice, the AI voice produced a higher level of auditory fear, which increased risk perception and thereby led to stronger pro-environmental behavioral intention. The paradoxical role of the AI voice and its wise use in environmental risk communication for promoting global public health are discussed.

The Impact of Interaction Time and Verbal Engagement with Personal Voice Assistants on Alleviating Loneliness among Older Adults: An Exploratory Study

“…Consistent with previous research on the moderating role of the amount of time spent with voice AI or assistive technologies [35,36], it is possible that longer durations of interaction might have indicated a level of comfort and familiarity with the device that goes beyond simple command-response verbal interactions. This depth of engagement points to the potential of PVAs to serve not merely as functional aids but as proxies for companionship that can be especially valuable to those experiencing social isolation, which concurs with previous reports of PVA devices as verbal companions to older people [28,32].…”

“…The amount of time spent with a voice AI or assistive technologies could play a moderating role in engendering intended positive health and behavioral outcomes. Compared to a human voice, one-time exposure to an AI voice produced a higher level of fearful feelings and a lower level of perceived closeness to the AI speaker among the general population [35]. However, participants aged 50-90, when questioned about their long-term health conditions and general use of assistive technologies over time, revealed through survey and focus group data that utilizing assistive technologies had beneficial impacts on their health and social well-being [36].…”

A Systematic Literature Review: AI, DL and Machine Learning inCyber Risk Management

“…These technologies utilize advanced algorithms to analyze large volumes of data and uncover potential risks, patterns, and anomalies. This enhancement in decision-making and resource allocation can be paralleled to the role of AI in other domains, such as climate change communication, where AI voices have shown to be as effective as human voices [48]. These AI voices carry unique influences on perceived connection and fear-induced persuasion, further underscoring the versatility and potential of AI in addressing complex challenges [49].…”

The mediating role of pro-environmental attitude and intention on the translation from climate change health risk perception to pro-environmental behavior

“…Yoon, Jeong 68 mentioned that risk perception of ocean microplastics plays a crucial role in tourists’ intention toward environmental protection. In addition, a study using the artificial intelligence (AI) voice demonstrates that AI can elicit risk perception and then motivate pro-environmental behavioral intention 69 . As for sustainable consumption behavior, risk perception regarding environmental issues makes significant contributions to the increased behavioral intention through the role of environmental concern 70 .…”