When Live Chats Make Us Disclose More

Abstract

To facilitate a synchronous communication with website users, numerous organizations have started implementing live chats on their websites. The current study asks whether and when the mere presence of live chats affects website users’ disclosure of personal information on a website. The findings of two empirical studies reveal that the mere presence of a live chat on a website decreases the extent of website users’ subsequent self- disclosure. A human-compared to an artificial intelligence (AI)-based live chat reduces the breadth of self-disclosure. These findings offer the various implications for website providers.