Roles of artificial intelligence experience, information redundancy, and familiarity in shaping active learning: Insights from intelligent personal assistants

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly being integrated into educational settings, with Intelligent Personal Assistants (IPAs) playing a significant role. However, the psychological impact of these AI assistants on fostering active learning behaviors needs to be better understood. This research study addresses this gap by proposing a theoretical model to outline and predict active learning dynamics. Data was collected from 237 validated questionnaires and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Our results confirm most hypotheses advanced in our model, and information redundancy has an unexpected negative and indirect influence on active learning, while perceived familiarity and system quality are positive drivers. Crucial mediators such as perceived usefulness, ease of use, and convenience significantly positively influence active learning outcomes. Interestingly, the relationship between perceived ease of use, perceived convenience, and active learning is positively moderated by AI experience. The most striking and unexpected finding of this study is the preference of university students for familiar systems over high-tech learning methods. This result challenges the common belief that the younger generation is always eager to adopt the latest technology. Instead, our findings suggest that students value convenience and familiarity over novelty in learning systems. This preference is reflected in their systematic evaluation, where convenience and familiarity are considered top priorities. This study provides valuable insights into the potential of AI to enrich the learning experience, thus making it especially relevant to professionals interested in artificial intelligence in international business education.