“Hi, Bixby”: Usefulness Is What Makes AI Assistants Help Users Reach Their Goals
An analysis of 253 AI assistant users finds that usefulness has the largest effect on goal-congruent outcomes, with utilitarian motivation fostering usefulness and hedonic motivation fostering enjoyment — published in the international journal JIS
Researchers at the HJ Institute of Technology and Management (HJITM) have published a study analyzing the factors that lead people to use AI personal assistants (AIPAs) in line with their goals and achieve results in Journal of Information Science (SSCI), an international journal in information science. The research was conducted while the HJITM researchers were working in the planning department of RealSecu Co., Ltd., an industry partner of HJITM.
The researchers analyzed responses from 253 Korean users of AI assistants such as Bixby and Siri using structural equation modeling. They examined whether utilitarian and hedonic motivations lead through usefulness, ease of use, and enjoyment to goal-congruent use and outcomes.
The analysis showed that the factor with the greatest effect on goal-congruent outcomes was usefulness (β=0.584). Usefulness also raised goal-congruent use (β=0.355), and ease of use (use β=0.273, outcomes β=0.146) and enjoyment (use β=0.191, outcomes β=0.123) also had significant effects.
On the motivation side, the roles were clearly divided. Utilitarian motivation, the desire to get tasks done efficiently, sharply increased usefulness (β=0.578) and ease of use (β=0.444), while hedonic motivation, the pursuit of fun, sharply increased enjoyment (β=0.655) but had no effect on usefulness.
The study is notable for measuring AI assistant performance from the perspective of users' goal attainment rather than simple frequency of use. It suggests that developers should design practical functions and enjoyable elements together, according to users' motivations.
HJITM continues its research on the usage outcomes of AI services.
Key findings
- Usefulness → goal-congruent outcomes (β=0.584), use (β=0.355)
- Ease of use and enjoyment → significant for both goal-congruent use and outcomes
- Utilitarian motivation → usefulness (β=0.578), ease of use (β=0.444)
- Hedonic motivation → enjoyment (β=0.655), no effect on usefulness · N=253
- Paper
- Hi Bixby: Determinants of goal-congruent usage and goal-congruent outcome in the artificial intelligence personal assistant context
- Authors
- Hyeon Jo
- Journal
- Journal of Information Science (SAGE, SSCI), Vol. 51(5), pp. 1120–1131, 2025
- DOI
- 10.1177/01655515231161554
- Cite
- Hyeon Jo (2025). Hi Bixby: Determinants of goal-congruent usage and goal-congruent outcome in the artificial intelligence personal assistant context. Journal of Information Science, 51(5), pp. 1120–1131.
This story could become your next paper
HJITM works with researchers from study design through surveys, analysis and submission to international journals in generative AI and technology management. Bring us your research question.