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First published online September 11, 2023

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The Adoption and Implementation of Artificial Intelligence Chatbots in Public Organizations: Evidence from U.S. State Governments

Tzuhao Chen https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5570-7626 [email protected], Mila Gascó-Hernandez, and Marc EsteveView all authors and affiliations

Volume 54, Issue 3

https://doi.org/10.1177/02750740231200522

Abstract
References
Biographies

Abstract

Although the use of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots in public organizations has increased in recent years, three crucial gaps remain unresolved. First, little empirical evidence has been produced to examine the deployment of chatbots in government contexts. Second, existing research does not distinguish clearly between the drivers of adoption and the determinants of success and, therefore, between the stages of adoption and implementation. Third, most current research does not use a multidimensional perspective to understand the adoption and implementation of AI in government organizations. Our study addresses these gaps by exploring the following question: what determinants facilitate or impede the adoption and implementation of chatbots in the public sector? We answer this question by analyzing 22 state agencies across the U.S.A. that use chatbots. Our analysis identifies ease of use and relative advantage of chatbots, leadership and innovative culture, external shock, and individual past experiences as the main drivers of the decisions to adopt chatbots. Further, it shows that different types of determinants (such as knowledge-base creation and maintenance, technology skills and system crashes, human and financial resources, cross-agency interaction and communication, confidentiality and safety rules and regulations, and citizens’ expectations, and the COVID-19 crisis) impact differently the adoption and implementation processes and, therefore, determine the success of chatbots in a different manner. Future research could focus on the interaction among different types of determinants for both adoption and implementation, as well as on the role of specific stakeholders, such as IT vendors.

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Biographies

Tzuhao Chen is a doctoral candidate at the Department of Public Administration and Policy and a research assistant at the Center for Technology in Government, both at the University at Albany, State University of New York. His interests include digital government, artificial intelligence, government innovation, information sharing, and smart cities.

Dr. Mila Gasco-Hernandez is an associate professor at the Department of Public Administration and Policy and the Research Director of the Center for Technology in Government, both at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Her interests include digital government, open government, smart cities and communities, telework, artificial intelligence, and public innovation.

Dr. Marc Esteve is a full professor of Public Management at the School of Public Policy at the University College London. He is also the director of ESADEGov, at ESADE Business School. He received his PhD in Management Sciences from ESADE Business School-Ramon Llull University in 2012.

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