Investigating the Factors Influencing Behavioral Intention and Adoption of Artificial Intelligence Technology: A Case Study of Cultivation and Industries at Razavi Agricultural Company

Introduction In the continuity of human life, agriculture as a strategic activity plays a key role in providing food. In addition, the agricultural sector plays an important role in economic development, social welfare and environmental sustainability of all countries. However, this sector is facing many challenges in recent years. Some of its most important challenges include the increasing growth of the world's population, a 40% reduction in water and soil resources, the destruction of a quarter of agricultural land, climate change, a lack of specialized labor, poor access to financial resources, strict laws, and a decrease in the number of farmers due to a decrease in motivation. Therefore, in order to meet the growing demand for food and overcome its challenges, the agricultural sector is forced to look for new solutions such as adopting digital transformation enhanced by artificial intelligence technology. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology has recently become increasingly prominent in the agricultural sector. AI-based solutions assist farmers in achieving higher productivity with fewer resources, ensuring the production of high-quality and healthy products, and accelerating the marketing process. Given the significance of AI technology in enhancing the overall efficiency of the agricultural sector, this research aims to identify the key predictors that influence the behavioral intention and adoption of AI technology in agricultural companies.   Materials and Methods The main objective of this research is to determine the key predictors of behavioral intention and behavior of using artificial intelligence technology in agricultural companies through the combination of the developed UTAUT2 model and TOE factors. The statistical population of this research is the total employees of nine cultivation and industry of Razavi Agricultural Company, which are about 465 people. Data were collected by completing multidimensional questionnaires along with semi-structured interviews from households in 2023. In total, 250 questionnaires were completed. Data of 39 respondents were excluded due to missing values. The questionnaire is designed based on the seven-point Likert scale (strongly disagree = 1, strongly agree = 7). The questionnaire used in this research includes 14 constructs in the form of 60 items. Excel 2019 software was used to analyze the raw data of the questionnaire and SmartPLS software was used to test the research hypotheses. In order to guarantee the stability of the data, a complete bootstrap method with 5000 sub-samples was performed.   Results and Discussion The results revealed that the values of Cronbach's alpha and CR for all constructs were higher than 0.7, which shows acceptable internal consistency of the model and adequate reliability of the research constructs. AVE scores and factor loading values for all constructs are above 0.5, which indicates the correct definition of constructs and high convergence between constructs and its items. The values of rho_A as an important reliability measure for PLS-SEM for all constructs are greater than the acceptable value of 0.7. The results of the Fornell-Larcker criteria and the Heterotrait-Monotrait ratio (HTMT) indicate that the model is confirmed in terms of the constructs' discriminative validity. In addition, the research model was able to explain 89.4 and 51.7 percent of the variance of the variables of behavioral intention and the behavior of people to use artificial intelligence technology in the agricultural sector. According to the results, all research hypotheses are confirmed and the behavioral intention to adopt artificial intelligence technology is positively and significantly influenced by expected performance, social effects, hope for effort, facilitating conditions, pleasure-seeking motivation, price-value, habit, trust in technology, technological aspects, organizational aspects, and environmental aspects. However, the fear of technology variable has a negative and significant impact on people's behavioral intention.   Conclusion This study highlights the determining the role of expected performance constructs, social influences, fear of technology, and organizational and environmental aspects compared to other constructs in predicting people's behavioral intention to adopt artificial intelligence technology in the agricultural sector and provides important information for different stakeholders. According to the results, it is suggested that the government should invest in the development of the necessary infrastructure for this technology and provide a platform for its development by establishing efficient laws and paying low-interest facilities. In addition, Designers should create user-friendly tools tailored to the agricultural conditions of the country.