Substitutor or Assistant: The Double-Edged Sword Effect of Artificial Intelligence Images on OTPs

Abstract

Recently, the green concept has become integral to education, leading to the rise of paperless online teaching. With the rapid development of online teaching platforms (OTPs) due to the pandemic, studies on user behavior have gained momentum. However, most studies have focused on students’ online learning attitudes and behaviors, neglecting in-depth analysis of teachers’ behaviors on OTPs. OTPs can either assist or substitute teachers, enhancing efficiency but also causing anxiety. This paper proposes reframing OTPs as assistants to reduce teachers’ resistance. We investigate if the OTP image (assistant vs. substitutor) impacts teachers’ satisfaction in a specific online teaching context, exploring its explanatory mechanisms. A study of 2*2 group experiments revealed that teachers were less threatened by the assistant OTP image and thus more satisfied. Experiment 1 confirmed that the OTP image influenced teachers’ willingness to recommend and satisfaction. Experiment 2 again tested the effect of different images of OTP (facilitator vs. substitute vs. control group) on teacher satisfaction, and the pie verified the mediating role of identity threat in this effect. Experiment 3 verified that self-affirmation as a moderating variable mitigates identity threats due to the alternative image of the OTP. Therefore, in the future promotion of AI products, more emphasis should be placed on assisting users rather than completely replacing traditional human hands, thus weakening the identity threat posed by AI products to users. The findings of this study enrich the study on teachers’ attitudes towards OTPs, dissect the sources of users’ (teachers’) satisfaction with OTPs from the perspective of product/brand (OTP) image, and provide guidance on how OTPs can choose the appropriate image positioning and promotional language.