Overservice backfires: The impact of high robot attentiveness on tourists' discontinuous usage intentions

Abstract

AI-powered robots can meet both functional and emotional consumer service needs through proactive engagement. Yet, excessive attentiveness may produce unintended negative outcomes. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, this research employs four studies and a single-paper meta-analysis to investigate how highly (vs. moderately) attentive robotic service influences tourists' intentions to discontinue use. Results show that highly attentive robotic service increases discontinuous usage intentions, and this effect unfolds sequentially through perceived threat to freedom and emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, information sensitivity and technology anxiety moderate the relationship between robotic attentiveness and discontinuous usage intentions. These findings offer strategic insights for tourism practitioners on deploying robotic services effectively to foster consumer acceptance of technology.