Trust, Accuracy and Adoption of ChatGPT for Agricultural Extension among Smallholder Farmers in Nigeria

The increasing application of artificial intelligence (AI) has created new opportunities for improving agricultural extension services through intelligent advisory systems such as ChatGPT. Despite its potential, little empirical evidence exists regarding the factors influencing its adoption among smallholder farmers in developing countries. This study examined the influence of trust and perceived accuracy on the adoption of ChatGPT for agricultural extension among smallholder farmers in Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey research design was adopted. The study was conducted across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria using a sample of 316 registered smallholder farmers selected through stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Data were collected using the Trust, Perceived Accuracy and ChatGPT Adoption Questionnaire (TPACAQ). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize respondents' characteristics, while simple linear regression and multiple linear regression were employed to answer the research questions and test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that trust significantly influenced the adoption of ChatGPT for agricultural extension (β = 0.591, p < .001), accounting for 34.9% of the variation in adoption. Perceived accuracy also had a significant positive influence (β = 0.638, p < .001), explaining 40.7% of the variation. Furthermore, trust and perceived accuracy jointly exerted a significant influence on ChatGPT adoption (R² = 0.530, F(2,313) = 176.35, p < .001), with perceived accuracy contributing more strongly than trust. The study concludes that farmers' adoption of ChatGPT depends largely on their confidence in the trustworthiness and accuracy of AI-generated agricultural recommendations. The study recommends improving the accuracy, transparency, and contextual relevance of ChatGPT responses while strengthening farmers' digital literacy and confidence through extension training programmes. These measures will facilitate the effective integration of generative AI into agricultural extension services in Nigeria.

ChatGPT, artificial intelligence, agricultural extension, trust

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