Augmented Analytics and Decision Quality: The Role of Trust among Non-Technical BI Users

TL;DR

This study examines how trust influences decision quality among non-technical business users leveraging augmented analytics, highlighting trust as a key factor in AI-assisted decision-making.

Contribution

It introduces the role of trust in augmented analytics as a cognitive delegation mechanism affecting decision quality among non-technical BI users.

Findings

Augmented analytics increases perceived ease of use and trust.

Trust and usefulness positively influence BI adoption.

Trust directly improves decision quality.

Abstract

Augmented analytics has transformed how business intelligence (BI) systems support managerial decision-making. This is especially true for users without technical backgrounds, who increasingly rely on automated insights rather than manual analysis. BI research has previously concentrated on system adoption and user intention, with very little research examining the impact of AI-enabled analytics on decision quality and the cognitive mechanisms in between. Using the theory of cognitive delegation, this paper investigates the role of trust in augmented analytics and decision-making quality among non-technical BI users. 250 business professionals completed the survey, and the data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that augmented analytics capabilities lead to a significant increase in perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and trust in BI systems. In addition, trust and usefulness influence BI adoption and improve decision quality. Furthermore, trust has a direct and positive impact on decision quality, highlighting its importance as an enabler of reliance on AI-generated insights. This study considers augmented analytics as a form of cognitive delegation and expands the scope of BI adoption research to include decision-making outcomes.