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Jump Into Comics: Can Reader-AI Interaction Boost Willingness to Pay

delete2026-06-17
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PRE
AI
M
Mengjiao Yin *
DOI:10.1080/10447318.2026.2688496delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Interactive comics driven by Generative AI, as a representative emerging medium, are reshaping the narrative relationship and emotional connection between humans and AI: users actively co-create “their own stories” in real-time through natural language. A randomized controlled trial and PLS-SEM analysis conducted on 494 interactive comic users revealed: (a) At the motivational level, the initiative of interaction has a significant direct positive effect on willingness to pay (WTP). (b) At the emotional level, AI interaction quality drives consumption decisions through a chained mediation path of “AI Interaction Quality (AIQ) → Flow Experience (FE) → Interactive Character Symbiosis (ICS) → WTP.” (C) Multi-group analysis confirms that this mechanism remains robust across different contexts. This study not only proposes and validates a new construct called ICS, applicable to scenarios of limited interaction but high emotional investment, thereby expanding the understanding of Consumer-AI relationships in HCI.
Keywords:
Generative AI
interactive comics
willingness to pay
flow experience
character symbiosis

Journal

I
International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction
IF:
0
Papers:
329
Citations:
0

Organization

W
wuxi taihu university
Scholars:
68
Papers: 51
Citations: 0