Consumer Choice and Autonomy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data

Quentin André, Ziv Carmon, Klaus Wertenbroch (), Alia Crum, Douglas Frank (), William Goldstein, Joel Huber, Leaf Boven, Bernd Weber and Haiyang Yang
Additional contact information
Quentin André: INSEAD
Ziv Carmon: INSEAD
Klaus Wertenbroch: INSEAD
Alia Crum: Stanford University
Douglas Frank: Analysis Group
William Goldstein: University of Chicago
Joel Huber: Duke University
Leaf Boven: University of Colorado Boulder
Bernd Weber: University of Bonn
Haiyang Yang: Johns Hopkins University

Customer Needs and Solutions, 2018, vol. 5, issue 1, No 4, 28-37

Abstract: Abstract Recent developments in the field of artificial intelligence and data analytics are facilitating the automation of some consumer chores (e.g., in smart homes and in self-driving cars) and allow the emergence of big-data-driven, micro-targeting marketing practices (e.g., personalized content recommendation algorithms). We contend that those developments can generate a tension for marketers, consumers, and policy makers: They can, on the one hand, contribute to consumer well-being by making consumer choices easier, more practical, and more efficient. On the other hand, they can also undermine consumers’ sense of autonomy, the absence of which can be detrimental to consumer well-being. Drawing on diverse perspectives from marketing, economics, philosophy, neuroscience, and psychology, we explore how consumers’ sense of autonomy in making choices affects their well-being. We discuss how new technologies may enhance or diminish consumers’ perceptions of being in control of their choices and how either of those can, in turn, enhance of detract from consumer well-being. Building on this, we identify open research questions in the domain of choice, well-being, and consumer welfare, and suggest avenues for future research.

Keywords: Artifical Intelligence; Automation; Consumer Autonomy; Big Data; Consumer Choice; Micro-targeting (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (33)

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DOI: 10.1007/s40547-017-0085-8

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