No Data, No Service?
Timea Eva Hriczko-Rimai · FH Vorarlberg Opus · 2026
Artificial intelligence is widely used in customer service, raising questions about consumers’ reactions to requests for personal information. This study examines how customer service agent type (AI chatbot vs. human representative) and disclosure sensitivity influence perceived creepiness and continued use intention. Using a 2 × 2 experimental design with 177 participants, the study investigates the psychological mechanisms underlying consumer responses to sensitive information requests in AI-mediated service interactions. Contrary to the initial assumptions, consumers appeared to react less to AI itself and more to requests involving highly sensitive personal information that violated expectations regarding appropriate information exchange. Such interactions elicited feelings of creepiness, which in turn reduced consumers' intention to continue using the service, while higher AI literacy was associated with lower perceived creepiness. The findings suggest that perceptions of creepiness depend less on the presence of AI itself than on the appropriateness of information requests within the service context, offering new insights into consumer responses to AI-enabled customer service.