Analysis of Use of Artificial Intelligence Technology Through User Perceptions and Behavior in Response to RAM Price Increases

Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as one of the most revolutionary technologies impacting our everyday lives as well as industry. Nonetheless, there has been a significant rise in the demand for high-end technology like the random access memory (RAM) due to advancements in AI, leading to price surges unseen before. In this study, the impact of increased RAM prices due to advances in AI on user perceptions, attitudes, and behavior will be analyzed. The increased hardware costs raise several accessibility and sustainability issues despite the benefits offered by AI, such as efficiency. Price Value will be considered to include the economic aspect of technology acceptance within this research, using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) framework. A quantitative methodology was applied, and data collection took place between May and June 2026 through online surveys targeted at respondents familiar with RAM and generative AI technologies. Ten hypotheses connecting behavioral intention and usage behavior to social influence, trust, usefulness, cost benefit, performance expectation, and habit were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). As evidenced by the findings, although the usefulness of AI is perceived to be very high, increasing costs associated with RAM significantly influence AI adoption behavior, resulting in decreased intentions for users to remain loyal to AI. It seems evident that affordability plays an important role in sustaining AI adoption, whereas trust and social influence remain strong determinants of behavioral intentions towards AI. This finding further underlines the importance of striking a balance between cost and technology to ensure equal AI adoption.