Servant or Partner? Effect of Time Scarcity on AI Role Preference and Its Psychological Mechanism of Task Self-Efficacy

This research examines how users’ preferences for AI social roles (“partner” vs. “servant”) vary under time scarcity. Across three experimental studies, we find that consumers prefer an AI servant when time is scarce but favor an AI partner otherwise (Study 1). Study 2 demonstrates that role–context fit enhances usage intention by boosting task self-efficacy when AI roles (partner vs. servant) align with users' time scarcity (priming vs. control). Study 3 identifies perceived AI hallucination as a moderating role, revealing that strong hallucination perceptions weaken the positive effects of role–context fit on self-efficacy and usage intention. These findings extend AI social role theory by revealing the dynamic nature of user role perceptions and their underlying mechanisms. The study also offers practical implications for AI product design, emphasizing the need to align AI role attributes with users’ time-scarcity states and mitigate hallucination risks to foster trust and long-term engagement.