Between promise and peril: Users’ risk–benefit trade-offs in their generative AI usage

The rapid adoption of generative AI (GenAI) has intensified public discourse on its risks and benefits. However, research remains limited on how users perceive these risks and benefits across varying psychological distances and how they balance these perceptions in their adoption decisions. Drawing on construal level theory and regulatory focus theory, we conducted in-depth interviews with GenAI users (N = 30). Findings reveal that users perceive GenAI’s risks and benefits across proximal and distal dimensions concurrently. In their adoption decisions, they demonstrate either promotion-focused orientations (i.e. risk downplaying and strength prioritization) to emphasize GenAI’s benefits or prevention-focused orientations (i.e. privacy protection, output scrutinization, and reliance abstinence) to mitigate its risks. This study provides theoretical and practical implications for AI adoption and risk communication, contributing to a deeper understanding of how users navigate the complexities of emerging AI technologies.