End-users' acceptance of intelligent decision-making: A case study in digital agriculture

In the rapidly evolving landscape of today's technologies, intelligent decision-making has penetrated various domains, providing support and guidance to numerous industries. The successful application of intelligent decision-making in practice heavily relies on end-users' acceptance. This study aimed to explore the motivation factors for end-users to accept intelligent decision-making based on a case study in digital agriculture. We established an extended technology acceptance model by incorporating trust, financial consequences, loss of privacy, and personalization. We conducted an investigation among farmers and agricultural practitioners in Northeast China, which is a pioneer demonstration area for promoting smart agriculture. A two-stage procedure approach was applied to test and validate the research model's effectiveness based on partial least squares structural equation modeling. Results demonstrated that perceived ease of use and trust were the strongest factors determining end-users' willingness to adopt intelligent decision-making. Personalization, perceived usefulness, and financial consequences were also identified as significant determinants for accepting intelligent decision-making. Loss of privacy was not a significant antecedent for adopting intelligent decision-making. Additionally, we confirmed the moderating role of trust in the relationship between motivating factors and behavioral intention to adopt intelligent decision-making. The appropriate promotion strategies were offered according to the determinants affecting end-users' acceptance of intelligent decision-making.