Trust in Autonomous Technologies A Contextual Comparison of Influencing User Factors

摘要

Faced with an increasing automation of everyday life, users' trust in autonomous technologies is a key factor for its successful adoption. Automation of processes, at home or in the transport sector, can offer great advantages (e.g., more comfort and safety), however, transferring control from a human to technology is also a serious challenge for users. Hence, in this study, we examined user diverse trust perceptions and evaluations in contextual comparison. An online questionnaire study was conducted (N = 129). focusing on trust in and the intention to use autonomous driving and smart home environments with regard to different user groups. Results reveal that trust was context sensitive: in particular gender and technical affinity influence users' decision to (dis)trust autonomous technologies. Also, incentives for the usage differed depending on the context. Test environments were perceived as most important incentive for the context of autonomous driving, whereas users strongly appreciated energy efficiency referring to smart home. These results contribute to a deeper understanding of user needs towards the acceptance of autonomous technologies.