Unintended consequences of humanoid service robots: A case study of public service organizations

Yazhu Maggie Wang, Sabine Matook and Alan R. Dennis

Journal of Business Research, 2024, vol. 174, issue C

Abstract: Robots guided by artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming service operations in for-profit companies. However, public and non-profit organizations have been slower to pursue these innovative new technologies. We conducted an in-depth single-case qualitative study of one public organization (a public library in Australia) to better understand the unintended consequences of humanoid service robots. Our findings theorize unintended consequences through dimensions of customer value and service interaction locus, yielding four types – service disparities, judgment-free communication, noise pollution and social touch. Our analysis reveals new insights into: 1) the unintended consequences of humanoid robots for customers; 2) the effects of these consequences on the service organization; and 3) the technology capabilities of humanoid robots as potential sources of the consequences. When public and non-profit organizations leverage these unintended consequences, they can use robots more effectively to improve the overall customer service experience.

Keywords: Humanoid AI-powered service robot; Library service experience; Unintended consequences; AI information technology; Public service organizations; AI-powered service taxonomy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:174:y:2024:i:c:s0148296324000134

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114509

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