AIRSI2019 “Artificial Intelligence & Robotics in Service Interactions: Trends, Benefits & Challenges”
8-9 July 2019
Facultad de Economía y Empresa. Gran Vía 2. Zaragoza.
Organized by METODO Research Group (University of Zaragoza)
The University of Zaragoza and METODO research group are proud to host this workshop Artificial Intelligence & Robotics in Service Interactions: trends, benefits and challenges. AIRSI2019 is for academic researchers and educators as well as practitioners seeking to promote and advance knowledge in the field of artificial intelligence and robotics in service interactions.
This workshop will be preparatory for the Special Issue “Automated forms of interaction in services: current trends, benefits and challenges” to be published at The Service Industries Journal in 2020.
It is compulsory to attend AIRSI2019 in order to submit the manuscript to this Special Issue.
Contributions:
- This workshop welcomes both theoretical and empirical papers
- Extended abstracts (up to 1,000 words), work in progress (up to 4,000 words) or full paper (up to 6,000 words) are welcome
Workshop timeline (AIRSI 2019):
- Submission deadline: 1 April 2019
- Accepted manuscripts: 15 April 2019
- Early registration deadline: 15 May 2019
- Workshop celebration: 8-9 July 2019
Special issue timeline:
- Full papers submission: October 2019
- Expected publication: July 2020
Motivation and Aim of the workshop
As with previous technology-based revolutions (e.g. industrial, digital), the implementation of automated and computerized forms of interaction (e.g. artificial intelligence (AI), robots) in business is having an important impact on economies and employment, among other aspects. Automation will not only replace manual jobs, but also those involving analytical, intuitive and empathetic skills (Huang and Rust, 2018). In a further and more challenging step, automation has been recently used to interact directly and physically with customers in frontline services, which is shaking up service delivery and customer-firm relationships. For instance, banks are increasingly using AI based Financial Technology (FinTech) as a key element in their strategies (Jung et al. 2018); in some branches of the Bank of Tokyo (Marinova et al., 2017) the Nao robot collaborates with bank tellers, AI is progressively employed to analyze large amounts of data to facilitate complex business decision-making, the LoweBot guides customers through Lowe’s stores and responds to their questions (Rafaeli et al., 2017) and chatbots are increasingly used for customer service (the Bank of America use a chatbot named Erica to answer basic banking questions [Rosman, 2018]).
The use of automated forms of interaction in services is an innovation that may affect customer choices (e.g., Van Doorn et al. 2017) as well as productivity and profitability. As a result, there is an increasing awareness on the part of firms that they need to develop service automation, so that they can achieve a competitive advantage by better approaching the current market transformation in the short and medium term. However, although the use of robots for product transportation has clear benefits, the results of robots operating in social settings and replacing human interactions (such as in services) are less clear.
In spite of increasing interest, recent contributions to this emerging field are mainly theoretical; consequently, there is a need to confront experts’ predictions with evidence obtained from the use of automation in frontline services. The aim of this special issue is to deepen and broaden the current understanding of the use of automated forms of interaction in services (e.g. AI, service robots, chatbots, etc.) by focusing on their effects on value creation, relationship outcomes, customer reactions and other related aspects. We welcome submissions focused on varied service environments (health, education, banking, tourism and hospitality, etc.), from different disciplinary backgrounds, such as sociology, psychology, marketing and management, among others. We particularly welcome multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary papers and studies using evidence based on data from any part of the globe. All theoretical and methodological (both qualitative & quantitative) approaches are equally appreciated.
Additional contact details: tsij2020@gmail.com
Upon acceptance, the authors agree the following:
- To return the manuscript (abstract) in correct format and time to be included in the conference proceedings.
- At least one author will present the manuscript at the conference and will register (by May 15).
- In case that an author presents more than one manuscript, each manuscript will require the registration of a different coauthor.
