생성형 AI 웹툰에 대한 소비자 기대와 우려가 이용의도 및 부정적 구전에 미치는 영향- 유료경험의 조절효과를 중심으로 = Effectsof Consumer Expectations of and Concerns about Generative AI Webtoons on UsageIntention and Negative Word-of-Mouth - Focusing on the Moderating Role of Paid Experience

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

In this study, we examined how consumers’ expectations and concerns about generative artificial intelligence (AI) webtoons influenced their intention to use such webtoons and their negative word-of-mouth behavior. We also investigated how consumer innovativeness shapes AI-related expectations and concerns and whether differences between experiences with paid and free webtoons would moderate these relationships. Using covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM)with confirmatory factor and multigroup analyses, wetested both direct and moderating effects.
The results show that higher consumer innovativeness significantly increased expectations of AI, while reducing concerns related to ethical issues and platform interaction. However, innovativeness did not significantly alleviate quality-related concerns, which indicates that even innovative consumers remained cautious about the potential quality degradation of AI-generated content. Both consumer innovativeness and their expectations of AI had positive effects on usage intention, whereas quality-related concerns negatively affected usage intention. Moreover, stronger usage intention significantly reduced negative word-of-mouth behavior.
The moderating analysis revealed that paid users exhibited stronger copyright-related concerns as their innovativeness increased, which suggests that prior payment experience heightened their sensitivity to the ethical and trust issues involved in AI-generated content. In contrast, innovativeness enhanced usage intention more directly among free users, which indicates that those without prior payment experience were more likely to approach AI content with curiosity and openness. These findings demonstrate that consumers interpret AI-generator content through the lens of their own prior experiences and evaluations in addition to its social role as a noveltechnology.