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

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.