AI Purchase Intention Driven by Perceived Value and Security, Not Just Readiness

Why It Matters

This insight challenges traditional adoption models by highlighting that strategic investment in new technologies like AI, especially by leadership unfamiliar with them, is primarily influenced by their perceived benefits and the associated risks. Understanding these drivers is crucial for technology providers aiming to effectively market and position their AI solutions to executive decision-makers.

Key Finding

CEOs without AI experience are most likely to consider purchasing AI if they perceive high value and strong security, despite potential costs. Readiness factors are less influential at this initial decision stage.

Key Findings

• Security and perceived value are the strongest positive drivers of AI purchase intention.
• Response costs act as a significant deterrent to AI purchase intention.
• Facilitating conditions and organizational compatibility have a secondary impact at the pre-adoption stage.
• Perceived value and organizational compatibility are necessary, but not sufficient, conditions for AI adoption.

Research Evidence

Aim: What are the key determinants of AI purchase intention among CEOs with no prior AI experience?

Method: Quantitative research using survey data and statistical modeling.

Procedure: A survey was administered to 252 CEOs without prior AI experience. The collected data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) to identify drivers and prerequisites for AI purchase intention.

Sample Size: 252 participants

Context: Enterprise management and AI adoption decisions by executive leadership.

Design Principle

For novel technology adoption by novice decision-makers, prioritize perceived value and risk mitigation (e.g., security) over internal readiness factors.

How to Apply

When developing business cases or product pitches for AI solutions targeting executive leadership, emphasize the ROI and security protocols. Frame the AI's impact in terms of strategic advantage and risk reduction.

Limitations

The study focuses specifically on CEOs with no prior AI experience, which may not generalize to other executive roles or those with existing AI familiarity. The findings are based on self-reported purchase intention, not actual purchase behavior.

Student Guide (IB Design Technology)

Simple Explanation: If you want a boss who doesn't know much about AI to buy an AI tool, you need to show them how much money it will save or make them, and prove it's safe and won't cause problems.

Why This Matters: This research helps understand the psychological and strategic factors influencing the adoption of new technologies at a high level, which is crucial for designing products and services that get approved and implemented.

Critical Thinking: How might the findings change if the decision-makers had some level of AI experience, or if the technology was less complex than AI?

IA-Ready Paragraph: Research into AI adoption by executive leadership, such as that by Maldonado-Canca et al. (2025), indicates that perceived value and security are paramount drivers of purchase intention among CEOs with no prior AI experience. This suggests that for novel technologies, the strategic benefits and risk mitigation aspects often outweigh considerations of organizational readiness or compatibility during the initial decision-making phase.

Project Tips

• When researching a new technology for a design project, consider who the decision-maker is and what their primary concerns might be, especially if they are not experts in the field.
• Think about how to communicate the benefits and risks of your design in a way that resonates with different stakeholders, not just end-users.

How to Use in IA

• Reference this study when discussing the strategic decision-making process for adopting new technologies, particularly when user experience or perceived value is a key factor in the adoption of a design.

Examiner Tips

• Demonstrate an understanding of how perceived value and risk influence adoption decisions, especially in contexts where the decision-maker lacks technical expertise.

Independent Variable: ["Security","Perceived value","Response costs","Organizational compatibility","Facilitating conditions"]

Dependent Variable: AI purchase intention

Controlled Variables: ["CEO's lack of AI experience","Upper echelons theory context"]

Strengths

• Novel model focusing on purchase intention rather than usage.
• Combines two analytical methods (PLS-SEM and NCA) for a comprehensive view.

Critical Questions

• To what extent do these findings apply to the adoption of technologies other than AI?
• How can designers and marketers effectively translate 'perceived value' and 'security' into tangible design features and communication strategies?

Extended Essay Application

• An Extended Essay could explore how the principles of perceived value and security influence the adoption of a specific design solution within a business context, perhaps by surveying potential stakeholders or analyzing existing product adoption case studies.

Source

AI in enterprise management: determinants of purchase intention among CEOs without AI experience · Journal of Enterprise Information Management · 2025 · 10.1108/jeim-03-2025-0230