Whose Advice Counts More – Man or Machine? An Experimental Investigation of AI-based Advice Utilization

Abstract

Due to advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), it is possible to provide advisory services without human advisors. Derived from judge-advisor system literature, we examined differences in the advice utilization depending on whether it is given by an AI-based or human advisor and the similarity of the advice and their own estimation. Drawing on task-technology fit we investigated the relationship between task, advisor and advice utilization. In study A we measured the actual advice utilization within a guessing game and in study B we measured the perceived task-advisor fit for this game. The findings show that compared to human advisors, judges utilize advices of AI-based advisors more when the advice is similar to their own estimation. When the advice is very different to their estimation, the advices are used equally. Concluding, we investigated AI-based advice utilization and presented insights for professionals providing AI-based advisory services.