Anthropomorphize service robots: the role of human nature traits

Lv, Linxiang; Huang, Minxue; Huang, Ruyao

doi:10.1080/02642069.2022.2048821

Cited by 21 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…Because previous research has suggested that giving HSRs the category of a moral agent or a member of a social category could be considered a threat to human identity (Vanman and Kappas, 2019), and because previous research findings showed that HSRs with greater cognitive abilities elicit aversion due to the threat of AI to the uniqueness of human intelligence (Liang and Lee, 2017;Lv et al, 2023), we controlled for perceived identity threat. Further, literature suggests that anthropomorphism is a key construct in explaining humanrobot interactions (e.g.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Anthropomorphism refers to the individuals' cognitive process of assigning unique human attributes and characteristics, especially physical appearance or physical reactions, to non-human agents (Abdi et al ., 2022; Cheng, 2022; Epley et al ., 2007). In this sense, AI-based intellectual intelligence can be understood as a replica of human intelligence, as it reflects humans' cognitive intelligence (Siau and Yang, 2017), making HSRs more human-like (Lv et al. , 2023).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this study, we focus on thinking AI, or intellectual intelligence, in terms of the ability to think, learn and solve problems. According to Lv et al (2023), the most important human characteristic that differentiates humans from animals relates to intellectual intelligence, as the individuals' ability to perform complex cognitive processes and thinking. In the context of human-robot interactions, intellectual intelligence can be defined as consumers' perception of HSR's intelligence as the result of its knowledge, purpose and competence, such as providing product information and in-store customer assistance (Bartneck et al, 2009;Moussawi et al, 2021).…”

Section: Hsr Intellectual Intelligencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on the need for social connection (Epley et al, 2007), individuals tend to anthropomorphise non-human agents, including HSRs (Blut et al, 2021), to replicate human-to-human interactions in different social settings. In this context, AI-based intellectual intelligence can be understood as a replica of human intelligence, as it reflects humans' cognitive intelligence (Siau and Yang, 2017), making HSRs more human-like (Lv et al, 2023). Anthropomorphism has been used to help scholars to study the acceptance of HSRs (Lin et al, 2020).…”

Section: Control Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this study, we focus on thinking AI, or intellectual intelligence, in terms of the ability to think, learn and solve problems. According to Lv et al. (2023), the most important human characteristic that differentiates humans from animals relates to intellectual intelligence, as the individuals' ability to perform complex cognitive processes and thinking.…”

Section: Theoretical Background and Hypotheses Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Retail robots as sales assistants: how speciesism moderates the effect of robot intelligence on customer perceptions and behaviour

Fiestas Lopez Guido,

Kim,

Popkowski Leszczyc

et al. 2023

JSTP

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PurposeRetailers increasingly endeavour to implement artificial intelligence (AI) innovations, such as humanoid social robots (HSRs), to enhance customer experience. This paper investigates the interactive effect of HSR intelligence and consumers' speciesism on their perceptions of retail robots as sales assistants.Design/methodology/approachThree online experiments testing the effects of HSRs' intellectual intelligence on individuals' perceived competence and, consequently, their decision to shop at a retail store that uses HSRs as sales assistants are reported. Furthermore, the authors examine whether speciesism attenuates these effects such that a mediation effect is likely to be observed for individuals low in speciesism but not for those with high levels of speciesism. Data for all studies were collected on Prolific and analysed with SPSS to perform a logistic regression and PROCESS 4.0 (Hayes, 2022) for the mediation and moderated-mediation analysis.FindingsThe findings show that the level of speciesism moderates the relationship between HSR intellectual intelligence and perceived competence such that an effect is found for low but not for high HSR intelligence. When HSR intellectual intelligence is low, individuals with higher levels of speciesism (vs low) rate the HSR as less competent and display lower HSR acceptance (i.e. customers' decision to shop using retail robots as sales assistants).Originality/valueThis research responds to calls in research to adopt a human-like perspective to understand the compatibility between humans and robots and determine how personality traits, such as a person's level of speciesism, may affect the acceptance of AI technologies replicating human characteristics (Schmitt, 2019). To the best of the authors' knowledge, the present research is the first to examine the moderating role of speciesism on customer perceptions of non-human retail assistants (i.e. human-like and intelligent service robots). This study is the first to showcase that speciesism, normally considered a negative social behaviour, can positively influence individuals' decisions to engage with HSRs.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Hsr Intellectual Intelligencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Control Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theoretical Background and Hypotheses Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Retail robots as sales assistants: how speciesism moderates the effect of robot intelligence on customer perceptions and behaviour

Fiestas Lopez Guido,

Kim,

Popkowski Leszczyc

et al. 2023

JSTP

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Humanlike service robots: A systematic literature review and research agenda

Zhang,

Slade,

Pantano

2024

Psychology and Marketing

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Humanlike robots are increasingly employed to provide frontline services. They are frequently designed with stereotypically feminine or masculine humanlike features which affect or bias consumer behavior in service encounters. This systematic review of 118 peer‐reviewed journal papers aims to comprehensively capture the current status of the field and identify important research gaps requiring further investigation. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses protocol, a comprehensive framework is developed to conceptualize the process of customer interactions with humanlike service robots, depicting how humanlike service robots influence consumer behavior. Specifically, we identify interaction antecedents, consumer processing factors, outcomes of the interactions, and strengthening/attenuating factors. Based on the framework, the review concludes by identifying issues that future research should seek to solve to contribute to the field. This paper provides a deep understanding of service robot anthropomorphism in marketing and consumer research and proposes a future research agenda to advance knowledge of the field.

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