Understanding the Necessary Conditions of Multi-Source Trust Transfer in Artificial Intelligence

Trust transfer is a promising perspective on prevalent discussions about trust in AI-capable technologies. However, the convergence of AI with other technologies challenges existing theoretical assumptions. First, it remains unanswered whether both trust in AI and the base technology is necessary for trust transfer. Second, a nuanced view on trust sources is needed, considering the dual role of trust. To address these issues, we examine whether trust in providers and trust in technologies are necessary trust conditions. We conducted a survey with 432 participants in the context of autonomous vehicles and applied necessary condition analysis. Our results indicate that trust in AI technology and vehicle technology are necessary sources. In contrast, only vehicle providers represent a necessary source. We contribute to research by providing a novel perspective on trust in AI, applying a promising data analysis method to reveal necessary trust sources, and consider duality of trust in trust transfer.