The effect of information seeking behaviour on trust in AI in Asia: The moderating role of misinformation concern

Abstract

Public opinion on new technologies, like artificial intelligence (AI), is influenced by media coverage. However, it remains unclear as to what extent seeking news and information about AI on legacy media as opposed to social media can shape trust in AI. A cross-national survey conducted across Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and India investigated the impact of information seeking behaviour on trust in AI, as well as the moderating role of concern about misinformation online. Results indicate a positive relationship exists between seeking AI information on social media and trust across all countries. However, for traditional media, this association was only present in Singapore. When considering misinformation, a positive moderation effect was found for social media in Singapore and India, whereas a negative effect was observed for traditional media in Singapore. These findings have implications for the adoption of novel technologies and highlight the importance of understanding the role of media in shaping public trust.