Department of Economics, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
Department of Economics, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy-Affiliate Professor SDA Bocconi, Milan, Italy.
PLoS One. 2022 Jun 29;17(6):e0269454. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269454. eCollection 2022.
Robo-advice technology refers to services offered by a virtual financial advisor based on artificial intelligence. Research on the application of robo-advice technology already highlights the potential benefit in terms of financial inclusion. We analyze the process for adopting robo-advice through the technology acceptance model (TAM), focusing on a highly educated sample and exploring generational and gender differences. We find no significant gender difference in the causality links with adoption, although some structural differences still arise between male and female groups. Further, we find evidence that generational cohorts affect the path to future adoption of robo-advice technology. Indeed, the ease of use is the factor which triggers the adoption by Generation Z and Generation Y, whereas the perceived usefulness of robo-advice technology is the key factor driving Generation X+, who need to understand the ultimate purpose of a robo-advice technology tool before adopting it. Overall, the above findings may reflect that, while gender differences are wiped out in a highly educated population, generation effects still matter in the adoption of a robo-advice technology tool.
机器人咨询技术是指基于人工智能的虚拟财务顾问提供的服务。关于机器人咨询技术应用的研究已经凸显了其在金融包容性方面的潜在益处。我们通过技术接受模型（TAM）分析采用机器人咨询的过程，重点关注受过高等教育的样本，并探索代际和性别差异。我们发现采用机器人咨询的因果关系与性别无关，但男性和女性群体之间仍然存在一些结构性差异。此外，我们有证据表明，代际群体影响未来采用机器人咨询技术的路径。事实上，易用性是 Z 世代和 Y 世代采用机器人咨询的触发因素，而机器人咨询技术的有用性是 X+世代采用的关键因素，他们需要在采用机器人咨询技术工具之前了解其最终目的。总的来说，上述发现可能反映出，在受过高等教育的人群中，性别差异已经消除，但在采用机器人咨询技术工具时，代际效应仍然重要。
