Can users trust AI doctors? Unpacking the dual credibility pathways linking AI chatbot use to AI health advice adherence intention

With the rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into healthcare, AI doctor chatbots have emerged as increasingly prevalent tools for health information acquisition and health management. However, existing research has paid insufficient attention to how AI doctor utilization is associated with AI healthcare users' credibility judgments and subsequent AI health advice adherence intention. To address this research gap, this study examines the relationship between AI doctor utilization and AI health advice adherence intention, with a particular focus on the mediating roles of perceived honesty and ability credibility, as well as the moderating role of anxiety sensitivity. A questionnaire survey was conducted among participants from various regions of China, and 224 valid responses were retained after data cleaning. SmartPLS 4.0 was used for data analysis. The results show that AI doctor utilization is significantly and positively associated with both perceived honesty and ability credibility, which, in turn, are positively associated with AI health advice adherence intention. Additionally, perceived honesty and ability credibility play mediating roles in the relationship between AI doctor utilization and AI health advice adherence intention. Regarding the moderating effect, anxiety sensitivity negatively moderates the relationship between perceived honesty and AI health advice adherence intention, while positively moderating the relationship between ability credibility and AI health advice adherence intention. These findings provide nuanced insights for designing anxiety-sensitive AI healthcare services by tailoring credibility cues to users' psychological characteristics and promoting appropriate reliance on AI-generated health advice.