Exploring AI Chatbot Adoption for Knowledge Workers: A Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology Extension

AI chatbots have emerged as transformative tools in knowledge-intensive work environments. While existing research largely focuses on AI chatbots as interactive agents in customer service or their capability to replace human labor, fewer studies have examined their adoption from the perspective of knowledge workers. Literature has explored users' intention to adopt AI chatbots using Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), yielding contradictory results. In this paper, we extend UTAUT by introducing new factors not previously addressed in the literature. Our results support existing empirical evidence and confirm that core UTAUT constructs, excluding performance expectancy, do not influence attitudes toward use, while further demonstrating that they positively impact users' attitudes toward innovating with AI, which emerges as a new antecedent to intention to use. Furthermore, our findings highlight the role of critical thinking as a counterbalance to the perceived risks of using AI chatbots, an aspect that literature suggests can undermine intention to use. Finally, we explore task characteristics, identifying teamwork as positively influencing both attitudes toward innovating and intention to use. These findings indicate that chatbot adoption among knowledge workers is more complex than depicted by UTAUT and is shaped by both personal perceptions and the broader work environment. Our work provides practical insights for organizations aiming to integrate AI chatbots into professional settings, as well as theoretical implications. Limitations include the narrow variety of domains addressed.