Factors shaping willingness to adopt generative artificial intelligence tools among university students: a TAM-based investigation

With the rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) technology, college students represent a crucial demographic in the adoption of emerging technologies. Their willingness to use such tools plays a significant role in shaping the integration and dissemination of GAI platforms. Extending the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this study proposes and tests a sequential mediation chain: perceived ease of use → perceived usefulness → satisfaction → user trust → behavioral intention. and develops a corresponding structural equation model (SEM) to systematically explore the factors influencing college students' willingness to use GAI platforms. The study employed a questionnaire survey method and collected a total of 334 valid responses. Results confirm that perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness exert significant direct positive effects on satisfaction. Satisfaction, in turn, further enhances users' trust in GAI platforms, and user trust is the key factor driving behavioral intention. This study enriches the theoretical application of the TAM in the context of GAI platforms, identifies key pathways influencing university students' behavioral intentions, and has valuable practical implications for the design optimization, trust mechanism development, and formulation of promotion strategies for GAI platforms.