The Sentient Shift—A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda on Anthropomorphized Service Agents in Tourism and Hospitality Industry

Abstract

Fueled by advancements in generative and conversational artificial intelligence, automation, and evolving customer expectations, the rising integration of anthropomorphized service agents in the hospitality and tourism sector is redefining service experiences. Despite the growing prominence of anthropomorphized service agents (ASA), our understanding of these companions is still in its infancy, suggesting that we have only scratched the surface of meaningfully engaging with them. Prior studies were predominantly quantitative and geographically constrained, lacking cross-cultural and diverse explorations. Accordingly, the current study reviews 128 peer-reviewed articles using systematic quantitative and thematic qualitative analysis to examine the role of ASA (including anthropomorphized -robots, -service robots, -chatbots, bits, and humanoids) in the hospitality and tourism sector. Furthermore, the current review focuses on ASA's state of the art. It proposes future research directions followed by a conceptual framework for tourism and hospitality academicians, practitioners, brand managers, and marketers.