What Influences People’s Adoption of Cognitive Cybersecurity?

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, among other new technologies, have attracted the attention and interest of practitioners and researchers in cognitive cybersecurity regarding the use of AI technologies to protect digital as well as analogue systems. This mixed-method study explores the main determinants of cognitive cybersecurity adoption at the individual level. We propose an integrated model with unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model in combination with trust, word-of-mouth, information security awareness, and habit. We empirically examine the hypotheses using a survey of 267 people from southern Europe. The results obtained from the use of structural equation modelling show that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and word-of-mouth affect behavioural intention. The behavioural intention and word-of-mouth influences use behaviour. The results were triangulated with field interviews, which supported the findings. This study offers a valuable contribution to software-selling companies that are at the moment, or will in the future be, interested and/or involved in developing cognitive cybersecurity software to be used at an individual level.