How lack of choice to opt-out of generative artificial intelligence in traditional search engines drives consumer switching intentions: The mechanism of empowerment

The growing integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in traditional search interfaces is transforming how consumers search for information online. When AI-generated summaries are at the forefront without allowing users to opt out, their search experience becomes less user-driven and more system-controlled. Yet, its impact on consumer switching intentions is underexplored. Grounded in consumer empowerment and psychological reactance theories, this mixed-method research investigates how the lack of a choice feature to opt out of AI integration drives consumer switching intentions. Analyzing real-world discussions on Reddit, followed by an experiment, our findings reveal that when users lack the choice to disable AI-generated content, they feel less empowered, more intrusive, and irritated, increasing their likelihood of switching. Our findings extend interface design literature by identifying “choice to opt out of AI feature†as a critical design element for GenAI interfaces. While previous research has primarily theorized consumer empowerment in AI-enabled interfaces by focusing on autonomy, power, and control, our findings advance this literature by empirically demonstrating consumer choice as a novel and critical antecedent of empowerment. Further, we contribute to psychological reactance theory by extending it to a permanent, system-level disruption and demonstrate that the scale and permanence of reactance drive switching intentions. We provide actionable recommendations for interface designers to incorporate a toggle switch into GenAI interfaces, enabling users to choose to disable AI features. It suggests that managers may use empowerment as a strategic differentiator of interfaces to prevent consumers from migrating to alternative interfaces.