Artificial Intelligence Acceptance Among College Students in East China: Motivators and Constraints to ChatGPT Adoption

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies like ChatGPT are transforming industries and reshaping human interactions. However, the factors influencing their adoption among university students remain poorly understood. We conducted a quantitative cross-sectional study involving 392 undergraduate students in East China, employing the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework. Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) were used to evaluate direct, indirect, and combinatorial effects on ChatGPT acceptance. Key motivators, including human friendliness, perceived usefulness, optimistic attitude and social significantly enhanced artificial intelligence acceptance. While constraints such as pessimistic attitude, difficulty of application and negative impact showed no direct effects, difficulty of application indirectly influenced artificial intelligence acceptance via its impact on human friendliness, perceived usefulness and optimistic attitude. And pessimistic attitude indirectly influenced artificial intelligence acceptance via its impact on social support. Combinatorial analysis highlighted that high social support, high perceived usefulness, high human friendliness, and low difficulty of application were critical for fostering acceptance. Interestingly, prior experience with ChatGPT negatively influenced acceptance both directly and indirectly by reducing perceptions of social support. This study reveals the nuanced interplay of motivators and constraints in shaping AI adoption. The findings offer actionable insights for designing targeted interventions to enhance acceptance.