Risk it, if you dare: A quantitative analysis of the effects of perceived risk facets on the adoption of generative artificial intelligence in knowledge work

The adoption of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is influenced by perceived risks, which can impact perceptions of performance, effort, and emotions. Understanding how different facets of risk drive functional and non-functional perceptions and lead to actual use would be crucial to improving its acceptance and adoption in knowledge work. By assessing performance, privacy, psychological, social, and time risk, and incorporating them into the artificial intelligence device use acceptance (AIDUA) model as part of a sequential adoption process, this study highlights the importance of risk perceptions and their broader influence on socio-technological interactions. Using structural equation modeling with three data samples from different countries (n = 1450), we identify a negative effect of performance risk and a positive effect of time risk on perceived performance.Conversely, performance, time, and psychological risk have been found to significantly increase effort perceptions, emphasising the multifaceted nature of effort appraisals. Performance and psychological risk directly and negatively influence emotions toward the use of GenAI, emphasizing the need to consider non-functional antecedents in adoption. In contrast, privacy and social risk were found to have no significant impact on perceived performance, perceived effort, and emotions. While not statistically significant, the high level of perceived privacy risk among respondents highlights the relevance of privacy-calculus discussions in the context of responsible GenAI integration within organizations and society. Thus, by specifying the types and impacts of risk, this study offers guidance for addressing risk-related challenges in socio-technological interactions and calls for risk mitigation endeavors in knowledge work.