The Impact of Performance Expectancy, Workload, Risk, and Satisfaction on Trust in ChatGPT: Cross-sectional Survey Analysis

Abstract: This study investigated how perceived workload, satisfaction, performance expectancy, and risk-benefit perception influenced users' trust in Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT). We aimed to understand the nuances of user engagement and provide insights to improve future design and adoption strategies for similar technologies. A semi-structured, web-based survey was conducted among adults in the United States who actively use ChatGPT at least once a month. The survey was conducted from 22nd February 2023 through 24th March 2023. We used structural equation modeling to understand the relationships among the constructs of perceived workload, satisfaction, performance expectancy, risk-benefit, and trust. The analysis of 607 survey responses revealed a significant negative relationship between perceived workload and user satisfaction, a negative but insignificant relationship between perceived workload and trust, and a positive relationship between user satisfaction and trust. Trust was also found to increase with performance expectancy. In contrast, the relationship between the benefit-to-risk ratio of using ChatGPT and trust was insignificant. The findings underscore the importance of ensuring user-friendly design and functionality in AI-based applications to reduce workload and enhance user satisfaction, thereby increasing user trust. Future research should further explore the relationship between the benefit-to-risk ratio and trust in the context of AI chatbots.