Unveiling the drivers of ChatGPT utilization in higher education sectors: the direct role of perceived knowledge and the mediating role of trust in ChatGPT

The introduction of artificial intelligence technologies like ChatGPT has brought a revolution in various sectors, including higher education. The study aims to examine the drivers that influence ChatGPT adoption among students in higher studies in Bangladesh. This study combined UTAUT model components with constructs such as perceived knowledge of ChatGPT and trust in ChatGPT. In this study, the data were collected via a Google form-based questionnaire of 485 participants from two renowned public universities in Bangladesh, and Structural Equation Modeling (SmartPLS-4) was utilized to analyze the collected data. The study results reveal that performance expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions significantly influence students’ intention to use ChatGPT in their studies, while effort expectancy does not; additionally, perceived knowledge of ChatGPT positively impacts students’ intention to use and their use behavior and trust in ChatGPT mediates the interactions between performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence regarding students’ intention to use it. The study provides service providers with useful recommendations for encouraging adoption and guaranteeing efficient and user-friendly technology.