Valentina Pitardi
Papers
9
Total Citations
378
H-Index
7
About
Valentina Pitardi is a leading researcher at the intersection of service robotics, artificial intelligence, and consumer behavior, with a particular focus on how intelligent automation reshapes human service experiences. Her most celebrated contribution — "Service Robots, Agency, and Embarrassing Service Encounters" (2021, 200+ citations) — broke new ground by demonstrating that service robots can be *preferred* over human employees in socially awkward or uncomfortable situations, challenging the prevailing assumption that consumer responses to robots are predominantly negative. Building on this foundation, Pitardi has systematically expanded our understanding of how robots alter consumers' self-perception and social anxiety, with subsequent studies revealing that robots measurably reduce metaperception concerns in uncomfortable hospitality settings. Her work on gender congruity in human-robot interactions (60 citations) further highlights the nuanced social dynamics at play when customers engage with robotic service providers. More recently, she has broadened her lens to encompass generative AI, the metaverse, and intelligent automation's systemic effects on service delivery. With a growing body of work exploring unintended consequences of robotics and AI's role in polarized societies, Pitardi's research offers indispensable insights for scholars and practitioners navigating the ongoing digital transformation of the service sector.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Service robots, agency and embarrassing service encounters200 citations · 2021
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- 5Service Robots, Agency, and Embarrassing Service Encounters9 citations · 2021
- 6Service robots and their implications for service delivery8 citations · 2024
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