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Human touch in the age of AI: Customer willingness to adopt AI-enabled hospitality services

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  • Blüher, Georg
  • Schleth, Henrik C.
  • Kanbach, Dominik K.
  • Kallmuenzer, Andreas
  • Kraus, Sascha

Abstract

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) such as chatbots, service robots, or recommendation systems present hospitality firms with unprecedented opportunities to automate services that have long relied on human-to-human interactions. Yet, realizing these opportunities hinges on overcoming the central challenge to foster customer willingness to engage with AI-enabled services in a sector defined by its emphasis on personal touch, trust, and emotional connection. Although scholarly interest in this topic has accelerated in recent years, prior research remains fragmented across service contexts, methodology, geographies, and AI modalities, yielding mixed conclusions about adoption. This study addresses this gap through a systematic review of 61 peer-reviewed articles and integrating diverse perspectives on the multifaceted factors that shape customer adoption of AI-enabled services. The synthesis reveals that customers tend to embrace AI for routine and enjoyment-oriented tasks, while continuing to prefer human interaction for complex or emotionally charges situations, especially when AI lacks personalized or intuitive responses. The study offers an integrated framework to guide the effective and human-centric implementation of AI-enabled services in hospitality.

Suggested Citation

  • Blüher, Georg & Schleth, Henrik C. & Kanbach, Dominik K. & Kallmuenzer, Andreas & Kraus, Sascha, 2026. "Human touch in the age of AI: Customer willingness to adopt AI-enabled hospitality services," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:84:y:2026:i:c:s0160791x25003057
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.103115
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