Robots should be seen and not heard…sometimes: Anthropomorphism and AI service robot interactions

TLDR

The rapid entry of AI domestic service robots into homes has created a need to understand consumer preferences for interaction roles, yet theoretical guidance remains scarce. This study, grounded in anthropomorphism theory, examines how varying levels of robot humanness and social interaction opportunities influence consumers' liking of service robots. Through a literature review and three hypothesis tests, 953 participants completed an online scenario‑based experiment. Results show that while consumers favor higher humanness and moderate‑to‑high social interaction, only some participants liked robots more when dialogue was offered, prompting the Humanized‑AI Social Interactivity Framework that extends marketing literature and provides practitioner guidelines.

Abstract

Abstract There is a growing need to understand how consumers will interact with artificially intelligent (AI) domestic service robots, which are currently entering consumer homes at increasing rates, yet without a theoretical understanding of the consumer preferences influencing interaction roles such robots may play within the home. Guided by anthropomorphism theory, this study explores how different levels of robot humanness and social interaction opportunities affect consumers' liking for service robots. A review of the extant literature is conducted, yielding three hypotheses that are tested via 953 responses to an online scenario‐based experiment. Findings indicate that while consumers prefer higher levels of humanness and moderate‐to‐high levels of social interaction opportunity, only some participants liked robots more when dialogue (high‐interaction opportunity) was offered. Resulting from this study is the proposed Humanized‐AI Social Interactivity Framework. The framework extends previous studies in marketing and consumer behavior literature by offering an increased understanding of how households will choose to interact with service robots in domestic environments based on humanness and social interaction. Guidelines for practitioners and two overarching themes for future research emerge from this study. This paper contributes to an increased understanding of potential interactions with service robots in domestic environments.