Are we human or are we voice assistants? Revealing the interplay between anthropomorphism and consumer concerns

This paper explores consumer concerns about using Voice Assistants (VAs) as anthropomorphised branded products. The study focuses on the negative side of anthropomorphism, a currently under-investigated topic in marketing literature. A qualitative methodological approach was adopted by conducting face-to-face interviews with 25 VAs’ users. Findings reveal consumers’ intimate and emotional concerns due to the increasing humanisation of VAs. We isolated four main topics related to alienation and loss of contact with the real world, excessive VAs reliance and human atrophy, difficulties in overcoming painful situations due to the replication of human absences, and persuasion and destabilisation caused by the VAs’ human voice. This paper originally contributes to the academic debate on the dark sides of anthropomorphism and human-like VAs, also offering relevant managerial implications.