Examining ChatGPT adoption among educators in higher educational institutions using extended UTAUT model

Purpose Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model, this study aims to explore the factors influencing educators’ acceptance and utilization of chat generative pretrained transformer (ChatGPT) in the context of higher educational institutions. This study additionally examines the moderating influence of trust on the association between intention and adoption of ChatGPT. Design/methodology/approach A structured questionnaire was disseminated to 1,214 educators following the purposive sampling method. The hypothesized relationships between the extended UTAUT model constructs and ChatGPT adoption were examined using structural equation modeling. Findings The results of this study indicate positive impact of ChatGPT adoption and its use behavior (UB) among educators. Performance expectancy, effort expectancy, hedonic motivation, facilitating conditions and habit have a positive impact on behavior intention to use this tool among educators in higher education institutions, However, the educators intend to use ChatGPT in a personal capacity and are negatively influenced by the social groups. Moreover, behavior intention to adopt ChatGPT has a larger effect on the UB due to the higher involvement of trust. Practical implications This research adds to the literature on technology adoption by emphasizing the significance of trust in the adoption of emerging technologies, such as big language models. This study’s findings have implications for ChatGPT technology developers, legislators and academics considering the implementation of ChatGPT for teaching and research. Originality/value This research investigates ChatGPT adoption among higher education educators using the UTAUT model. It emphasizes the role of trust in adoption, highlights key adoption factors and reveals a paradox: educators are personally inclined to use ChatGPT but hesitant due to negative social influence. This study's novelty lies in its focus on trust and its implications for developers, legislators and educators, offering valuable insights for integrating ChatGPT in education.