Abstract

This study examines how chatbot communication style (social-oriented vs. task-oriented) influences consumers’ unethical behavioral intentions through the sequential mediating roles of perceived humanness, parasocial interaction, and anticipatory moral disengagement. Furthermore, the moderating effect of Machiavellianism on this pathway is explored. A between-subjects online experiment was conducted using a hotel reservation scenario, in which participants interacted with a chatbot and then responded to a payment error situation. This study found that social-oriented chatbots enhanced perceived humanness, which in turn led to higher parasocial interaction and reduced anticipatory moral disengagement, ultimately leading to lower unethical behavioral intentions. Additionally, the indirect effect of moral disengagement on unethical behavior was heightened among individuals with higher levels of Machiavellianism.