Interactive AI is Smarter! The Role of AI Interactivity on Information Quality and Credibility in Times of Conflict

The increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into everyday life has raised significant questions about the way they interfere and influence individuals in the present society. Especially in times of conflict, when a lot of information is disseminated with the help of AI, it is vital to study the perception of individuals on the information quality and credibility provided by AI. The objective of this paper is to examine the way interactivity and social attachment influence individuals’ perception of AI as a credible and informative agent. While functional performance remains a key expectation, the ability of AI systems to build emotional connections and simulate human-like responsiveness is emerging as a critical factor in perceived usefulness. This analysis underscores the importance of designing AI not only for task efficiency but also for fostering trust, engagement, and relational value in user interactions. The results obtained indicate a strong positive relationship between social attachment and interactivity, suggesting that users who have a social attachment to AI devices are more likely to perceive them as highly interactive. Although social attachment alone does not directly enhance perceptions of information quality, it contributes indirectly by increasing interactivity. Eventually, increased interactivity significantly improves the perceived quality of information, as individuals associate responsive and personalized AI behavior with clarity, accuracy, and reliability. These findings highlight interactivity as a key mediating factor in the relationship between emotional connection and information quality, underscoring the importance of socially engaging AI design.