A new study reveals that conservatives are more likely to accept artificial intelligence (AI) recommendations in daily life compared to liberals. The study, published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, covers various scenarios including movies, music, and recipes. Although previous research has shown that conservatives tend to be skeptical of new technologies, this study shows that when AI recommendations align with individuals' past choices, conservatives are more likely to accept these suggestions. This tendency stems from their preference for consistency and resistance to change.
Image source note: The image is AI-generated, and the image licensing service is Midjourney.
In daily life, consumers often encounter AI-based recommendation systems, such as movies recommended by Netflix, music played by Spotify, or recipes suggested by cooking apps. Although previous studies have focused mainly on how to improve the accuracy of these systems, there has been relatively little research on who is more likely to accept these recommendations. Since political ideologies influence various consumer behaviors, including brand preferences and food choices, the research team wanted to explore how ideology affects the acceptance of AI-generated content.
The research team consisted of scholars from different universities and conducted six studies involving over 1,500 participants. They tested the impact of political beliefs on consumers' responses to AI recommendations through Facebook ad campaigns. Participants were asked to imagine or respond to AI-generated movie, music, or recipe recommendations. In some cases, they were told that the recommendations were based on their own past preferences, while in other cases, this detail was omitted or changed. Participants also rated their political ideology on a scale from liberal to conservative.
The study results showed that, under specific conditions, conservatives were more likely to accept AI recommendations than liberals, especially when they believed the recommendations were related to their past behavior. Their preference for familiar and consistent experiences seemed to outweigh any hesitation toward AI technology itself. This pattern was verified across different types of product recommendations and even in a real Facebook ad study, where conservatives showed higher click-through rates for AI-generated music playlists.
However, this acceptance among conservatives does not mean they generally have a positive attitude toward AI. The study primarily focused on low-risk daily consumption scenarios, where familiarity and consistency are more appealing. Future research can explore whether these patterns extend to other areas, such as political information, financial advice, or public health interventions.
Key points:
🌐 Conservatives are more likely to accept AI recommendations than liberals, especially when the recommendations align with personal past preferences.
🎵 Participants in the study were asked to respond to AI-generated recommendations, and the results showed higher acceptance among conservatives.
📊 Future research will explore patterns of AI adoption across different fields and their variations.