With the swift rise of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots in e-commerce, their impact on consumer-brand communication and consumer responses is fundamentally changing how things are done between consumers and businesses; however, there is a lack of understanding as to how cultural contexts moderate the relationship between chatbot-mediated communication and consumer responses. This research examines how AI chatbots influence purchase intentions and trust in the product depending on individualistic and collectivistic cultural orientations. Based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory, we present a conceptual model that investigates the influence of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, social presence, and perceived anthropomorphism on consumer trust, which then influences purchase intention. Based on a cross-cultural survey of 847 consumers from the United States (individualistic) and India (collectivistic), our results show that perceived usefulness and social presence can make significant contribution to trust in both cultures, but perceived anthropomorphism has a significantly greater impact on trust in collectivistic cultures. Furthermore, trust mediates the relationship between chatbot characteristics and purchase intentions, with this mediation effect being more pronounced in collectivistic contexts. The results of this study provide insights for consumer research because they confirm that the design of chatbots should be culturally adapted to ensure the highest consumer engagement and conversion rate. The study provides practical applications for global marketers aiming at cross-cultural markets with AI chatbots.