A four-wave longitudinal study on attitudes toward the use of AI in different domains—The self-determination theory and locus of control perspective

Artificial intelligence (AI) has gained a foothold in diverse domains and it is being used by both specialists and private individuals. The aim of this study was to analyze people’s attitudes toward the use of AI across 12 domains—medicine, nursing and caregiving, teaching and education, traffic, ur...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Anica Cvetkovic, Iina Savolainen, Mayu Koike, Atte Oksanen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:Telematics and Informatics Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772503025000350
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850137618437636096
author Anica Cvetkovic
Iina Savolainen
Mayu Koike
Atte Oksanen
author_facet Anica Cvetkovic
Iina Savolainen
Mayu Koike
Atte Oksanen
author_sort Anica Cvetkovic
collection DOAJ
description Artificial intelligence (AI) has gained a foothold in diverse domains and it is being used by both specialists and private individuals. The aim of this study was to analyze people’s attitudes toward the use of AI across 12 domains—medicine, nursing and caregiving, teaching and education, traffic, urban planning, building and real estate technology, defense forces, information security, job recruitment, dating services, culture and art, and political decision-making. We used the self-determination theory (SDT) and locus of control (LOC) as theoretical frameworks. This study was based on longitudinal four-wave data collected in the period 2021–2024 from participants in Finland (N = 1,226, 4,904 observations). The main independent variables were the three basic psychological needs—autonomy, competence, and relatedness—and their technological fulfillment. Our analyses were based on multilevel between–within regression models. Technological relatedness revealed both between-person effects (differences among individuals) and within-person effects (differences over time). Technological autonomy revealed significant between- and within-person effects only in specific domains. Technological competence was not a significant factor in our models. We found that a higher internal LOC was associated with positive attitudes toward AI employed in the fields of medicine and the defense forces. Our findings imply that when people experience connectedness while interacting with AI, they are more likely to view this technology in a positive manner, while experiencing autonomy and having a higher internal LOC is significant only in specific domains. These findings should be considered when designing AI tools and developing AI integration strategies and use policies.
format Article
id doaj-art-67dcd872c60d47478e726c76a902f281
institution OA Journals
issn 2772-5030
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Telematics and Informatics Reports
spelling doaj-art-67dcd872c60d47478e726c76a902f2812025-08-20T02:30:47ZengElsevierTelematics and Informatics Reports2772-50302025-06-011810022010.1016/j.teler.2025.100220A four-wave longitudinal study on attitudes toward the use of AI in different domains—The self-determination theory and locus of control perspectiveAnica Cvetkovic0Iina Savolainen1Mayu Koike2Atte Oksanen3Tampere University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Kalevantie 4, Tampere 33100, Finland; Corresponding author.Tampere University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Kalevantie 4, Tampere 33100, FinlandInstitute of Science Tokyo, Department of Industrial Engineering and Economics, School of Engineering, W9-103, 2-12-1, Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8552 JapanTampere University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Kalevantie 4, Tampere 33100, FinlandArtificial intelligence (AI) has gained a foothold in diverse domains and it is being used by both specialists and private individuals. The aim of this study was to analyze people’s attitudes toward the use of AI across 12 domains—medicine, nursing and caregiving, teaching and education, traffic, urban planning, building and real estate technology, defense forces, information security, job recruitment, dating services, culture and art, and political decision-making. We used the self-determination theory (SDT) and locus of control (LOC) as theoretical frameworks. This study was based on longitudinal four-wave data collected in the period 2021–2024 from participants in Finland (N = 1,226, 4,904 observations). The main independent variables were the three basic psychological needs—autonomy, competence, and relatedness—and their technological fulfillment. Our analyses were based on multilevel between–within regression models. Technological relatedness revealed both between-person effects (differences among individuals) and within-person effects (differences over time). Technological autonomy revealed significant between- and within-person effects only in specific domains. Technological competence was not a significant factor in our models. We found that a higher internal LOC was associated with positive attitudes toward AI employed in the fields of medicine and the defense forces. Our findings imply that when people experience connectedness while interacting with AI, they are more likely to view this technology in a positive manner, while experiencing autonomy and having a higher internal LOC is significant only in specific domains. These findings should be considered when designing AI tools and developing AI integration strategies and use policies.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772503025000350Artificial intelligenceAttitudesSelf-determination theoryLocus of controlLongitudinal study
spellingShingle Anica Cvetkovic
Iina Savolainen
Mayu Koike
Atte Oksanen
A four-wave longitudinal study on attitudes toward the use of AI in different domains—The self-determination theory and locus of control perspective
Telematics and Informatics Reports
Artificial intelligence
Attitudes
Self-determination theory
Locus of control
Longitudinal study
title A four-wave longitudinal study on attitudes toward the use of AI in different domains—The self-determination theory and locus of control perspective
title_full A four-wave longitudinal study on attitudes toward the use of AI in different domains—The self-determination theory and locus of control perspective
title_fullStr A four-wave longitudinal study on attitudes toward the use of AI in different domains—The self-determination theory and locus of control perspective
title_full_unstemmed A four-wave longitudinal study on attitudes toward the use of AI in different domains—The self-determination theory and locus of control perspective
title_short A four-wave longitudinal study on attitudes toward the use of AI in different domains—The self-determination theory and locus of control perspective
title_sort four wave longitudinal study on attitudes toward the use of ai in different domains the self determination theory and locus of control perspective
topic Artificial intelligence
Attitudes
Self-determination theory
Locus of control
Longitudinal study
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772503025000350
work_keys_str_mv AT anicacvetkovic afourwavelongitudinalstudyonattitudestowardtheuseofaiindifferentdomainstheselfdeterminationtheoryandlocusofcontrolperspective
AT iinasavolainen afourwavelongitudinalstudyonattitudestowardtheuseofaiindifferentdomainstheselfdeterminationtheoryandlocusofcontrolperspective
AT mayukoike afourwavelongitudinalstudyonattitudestowardtheuseofaiindifferentdomainstheselfdeterminationtheoryandlocusofcontrolperspective
AT atteoksanen afourwavelongitudinalstudyonattitudestowardtheuseofaiindifferentdomainstheselfdeterminationtheoryandlocusofcontrolperspective
AT anicacvetkovic fourwavelongitudinalstudyonattitudestowardtheuseofaiindifferentdomainstheselfdeterminationtheoryandlocusofcontrolperspective
AT iinasavolainen fourwavelongitudinalstudyonattitudestowardtheuseofaiindifferentdomainstheselfdeterminationtheoryandlocusofcontrolperspective
AT mayukoike fourwavelongitudinalstudyonattitudestowardtheuseofaiindifferentdomainstheselfdeterminationtheoryandlocusofcontrolperspective
AT atteoksanen fourwavelongitudinalstudyonattitudestowardtheuseofaiindifferentdomainstheselfdeterminationtheoryandlocusofcontrolperspective