Paper Number
ECIS2026-2664
Paper Type
SP
Abstract
The adoption of Generative AI chatbots in organizations is transforming how employees perform cognitive work, enhancing efficiency and supporting augmentation. Perceived social presence can make these systems feel more human-like and trustworthy; however, it may also lead employees to overestimate their capabilities and delegate cognitive effort to them. This study investigates how trust, shaped by perceived social presence, contributes to higher-order cognitive offloading—the tendency to shift critical thinking to Generative AI chatbot tools. To explore this phenomenon, we propose to conduct an inductive qualitative case study supported by thematic analysis of interviews. By collecting insights from employees and managers, the study will examine how Generative AI chatbots are used in the workplace and the triggers and consequences involved. The goal is to develop an empirically grounded framework explaining the mechanisms linking perceived social presence, trust, and cognitive offloading in organizations adopting Generative AI chatbots, offering contributions to IS research and guidance for practitioners.
Recommended Citation
Valentini, Jacopo and Ravarini, Aurelio, "When Trust Reduces Critical Thinking: A Qualitative Study On How Social Presence Contributes To Cognitive Offloading Toward Generative AI Chatbots In The Workplace" (2026). ECIS 2026 Proceedings. 12.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2026/ai_anthro/ai_anthro/12
When Trust Reduces Critical Thinking: A Qualitative Study On How Social Presence Contributes To Cognitive Offloading Toward Generative AI Chatbots In The Workplace
The adoption of Generative AI chatbots in organizations is transforming how employees perform cognitive work, enhancing efficiency and supporting augmentation. Perceived social presence can make these systems feel more human-like and trustworthy; however, it may also lead employees to overestimate their capabilities and delegate cognitive effort to them. This study investigates how trust, shaped by perceived social presence, contributes to higher-order cognitive offloading—the tendency to shift critical thinking to Generative AI chatbot tools. To explore this phenomenon, we propose to conduct an inductive qualitative case study supported by thematic analysis of interviews. By collecting insights from employees and managers, the study will examine how Generative AI chatbots are used in the workplace and the triggers and consequences involved. The goal is to develop an empirically grounded framework explaining the mechanisms linking perceived social presence, trust, and cognitive offloading in organizations adopting Generative AI chatbots, offering contributions to IS research and guidance for practitioners.
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