AI increases unethical consumer behavior due to reduced anticipatory guilt

TaeWoo Kim (), Hyejin Lee (), Michelle Yoosun Kim (), SunAh Kim () and Adam Duhachek ()
Additional contact information
TaeWoo Kim: University of Technology Sydney
Hyejin Lee: Sungkyunkwan University
Michelle Yoosun Kim: University of California, San Diego
SunAh Kim: Concordia University
Adam Duhachek: University of Illinois at Chicago

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2023, vol. 51, issue 4, No 4, 785-801

Abstract: Abstract The current research focuses on examining how the use of artificial intelligence and robotic technology, emerging non-human agent innovations in service industries, influences consumers’ likelihood of engaging in unethical behavior. Previous research has shown that non-human (vs. human) agents are perceived differently along many dimensions by consumers (e.g., that they lack emotional capability), leading to various behavioral changes when interacting with them. We hypothesize and show across four studies that interacting with non-human (vs. human) agents, such as AI and robots, increases the tendency to engage in unethical consumer behaviors due to reduced anticipatory feelings of guilt. We also demonstrate the moderating role of anthropomorphism such that endowing humanlike features on non-human agents reduces unethical behavior. We also rule out alternative explanations for the effect, including differential perceptions about the agents (e.g., “warmth,” “competence,” or “detection capacity”) and other measures associated with the company capabilities.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI); Robots; Unethical behavior; Anticipatory guilt (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11747-021-00832-9

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