Exploring user acceptance of physical intelligent assistants: A study on AI-powered eyewear

As AI becomes increasingly integrated into everyday life, driven by the ongoing AI hardware revolution, physical intelligent assistants (PIAs), such as AI-powered eyewear, are emerging as transformative technologies that enable natural language interaction and autonomous task execution. While prior research has largely focused on digital assistants and traditional smart glasses, limited scholarly attention has been given to the factors influencing user adoption of AI-powered eyewear. This study extends the technology acceptance model (TAM) with perceived intelligence factors (conversational intelligence, task intelligence, and perceived naturalness), interface design aesthetics, and privacy concerns. Data were collected from 629 US users and analyzed using PLS-SEM and fsQCA. The results show that perceived intelligence factors and perceived ease of use positively affect perceived usefulness and user acceptance, while interface design aesthetics, although not affecting perceived usefulness, directly enhances acceptance. In contrast, privacy concerns negatively impact acceptance. The fsQCA analysis further reveals both function-driven and style-conscious configurations associated with high acceptance, emphasizing that adoption depends on thoughtfully tailored feature bundles rather than a one-size-fits-all design. Across all pathways, privacy concerns consistently emerge as a fundamental barrier. This study advances the literature and provides actionable insights for designers and marketers seeking to foster adoption of AI-powered eyewear.