AI literacy and AI anxiety: A parallel mediation model of positive AI perception, generative media use, and chatbot interaction
Burcu Büge, Beyza Sarı, Betül Yılmaz · DergiPark (Istanbul University) · 2026
This cross-sectional study examined the associations among artificial intelligence (AI) literacy, AI anxiety, and AI-related perceptions and engagement. It also tested whether positive AI perception, generative media use, and chatbot interaction statistically mediated the association between AI literacy and AI anxiety. The sample comprised 548 adults residing in Türkiye, including 291 women (53.1%) and 257 men (46.9%), aged 18-65 years. Participants were administered the Artificial Intelligence Literacy Scale (AILS), Artificial Intelligence Anxiety Scale (AIAS), and Artificial Intelligence Perception and Attitude Scale (AIPAS). AI literacy was negatively associated with total AI anxiety, with the strongest association observed for learning anxiety. Positive AI perceptions were negatively associated with AI anxiety and positively associated with AI literacy. In a parallel mediation model controlling for gender, the total indirect effect through positive AI perception, generative media use, and chatbot interaction was statistically significant. Women reported higher total AI anxiety, job-replacement anxiety, sociotechnical blindness, and AI-configuration anxiety. Women showed higher AI literacy and generative media use, whereas men reported more frequent chatbot use. There was no significant gender difference in overall AI perceptions and attitudes or positive AI perception. The findings suggest that the association between AI literacy and AI anxiety may be partly explained by how individuals evaluate and engage with AI technologies. Longitudinal and intervention-based studies are needed to test the temporal and practical implications of these associations.