{"title":"Customer reactions to generative AI vs. real images in high-involvement and hedonic services","authors":"Daniel Belanche , Sergio Ibáñez-Sánchez , Pau Jordán , Sergio Matas","doi":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102954","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102954","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Given the emerging opportunities of generative AI for business and marketing, many companies are wondering whether they should use images created through generative AI for commercial purposes. Prior research on hospitality communication has not solved this issue, as AI-generated images are occasionally promoted as effective marketing tools across various service contexts, while other scholars caution against their use due to the significant concerns they may trigger among consumers. Following a mixed-methods approach to find boundary conditions, our research reveals that consumers prefer hospitality services advertised with real images, rather than those featuring AI-generated images. Nevertheless, this effect is moderated by two key factors. In particular, the research reveals that the negative influence of using generative AI images on intentions to use and recommend the service are strengthened for hedonic rather than utilitarian services, and for highly rather than lowly involved customers. A qualitative study further explores the reasons behind this rejection, highlighting that customers perceive companies using AI-generated images as impersonal, less professional, lacking credibility, and potentially misleading, as they impede customers’ ability to envision the actual experience. Implications for management suggest that, while generative AI holds promise for enhancing communication, companies should use AI-generated images with caution. The discussion also proposes future research directions to explore the broader implications of AI use in marketing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48422,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Information Management","volume":"85 ","pages":"Article 102954"},"PeriodicalIF":20.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144679751","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Adnan Ali , Qian Yang , Afzaal Ali , Zeeshan Ali , Muhammad Noman
{"title":"How and when AI-driven capabilities foster organizational sustainability: A moderated mediation analysis of digital literacy and green HRM","authors":"Adnan Ali , Qian Yang , Afzaal Ali , Zeeshan Ali , Muhammad Noman","doi":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102956","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102956","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Researchers and practitioners widely view artificial intelligence-driven (AI) capabilities as the future of transforming organizations toward sustainability and making the world more sustainable. However, their crucial role and the specific mechanisms through which they influence organizational sustainability (OS) across three key dimensions—economic, environmental, and social performance—remain underexplored in the literature. To address this gap, this study adopting dynamic capability theory proposes a moderated mediation (MODMED) model that investigates the relationship between AI competencies OS sustainability and how this relationship is mediated by green human resource management (GHRM) and moderated by digital literacy. Using a sample of 310 Chinese firms, our results show the positive influence of AI capabilities on OS and the mediating role of GHRM. The MODMED analysis further reveals that digital literacy strengthens the indirect link between AI capabilities and OS via GHRM. This study offers fresh insights into how firms can effectively leverage AI capabilities, with the support of GHRM and digital literacy to drive OS.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48422,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Information Management","volume":"85 ","pages":"Article 102956"},"PeriodicalIF":20.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144665522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shihui Li , Yongzhong Yang , Chunjia Han , Yi Sun , Razaz Waheeb Attar , Brij B. Gupta
{"title":"Addressing consumer needs: Effects of firms remediation strategies on satisfaction and brand usage intent in AI-powered voice assistant service failures","authors":"Shihui Li , Yongzhong Yang , Chunjia Han , Yi Sun , Razaz Waheeb Attar , Brij B. Gupta","doi":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102951","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102951","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With the accelerating integration of AI-powered voice assistants into daily consumer interactions, effectively managing AI-driven service failures has become paramount for maintaining consumer trust, satisfaction, and sustained brand engagement. Despite extensive research on traditional service recovery mechanisms, existing frameworks fall short in addressing the distinct and complex nature of AI-driven failures. Motivated by the lack of systematic frameworks tailored explicitly to AI voice assistant contexts, this study introduces an integrated analytical framework grounded in Consistency Theory and Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) to address customer needs through strategic service failure remediation. Utilizing a mixed-methods research design and analyzing 5894 consumer reviews, the study establishes a consistency relationship between service failures and remediation strategies. It delineates three innovative approaches to service recovery and examines their impact on consumer satisfaction and brand usage intent. The empirical findings reveal significant positive effects of strategically aligned recovery efforts on consumer satisfaction and brand usage intentions. By addressing the specialized nature of AI-driven failures, this research not only advances theoretical knowledge in AI service management but also provides actionable strategic guidance for businesses seeking to optimize consumer experiences and foster enduring customer relationships.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48422,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Information Management","volume":"85 ","pages":"Article 102951"},"PeriodicalIF":20.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144571014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Do cute language style chatbots make consumers more unethical?","authors":"Jialiang Chen , Wenxin Ke , Yin Wu , Jian Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102941","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102941","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With the rapid development of artificial intelligence technologies, offline retailers are increasingly adopting chatbots with a cute language style to enhance customer service experiences. Although such chatbots have shown potential in improving customer satisfaction, their impact on consumer unethical behavior remains underexplored. This research aims to investigate the influence of chatbots with a cute language style on consumer unethical behavior and its underlying mechanisms. Across four experimental studies (N = 436), the results demonstrate that cute language style chatbots can increase consumer unethical behavior by enhancing the consumer’s moral self-concept. Furthermore, the findings reveal that avatar type moderates the effect of chatbot language style on moral self-concept. Emotional arousal is also identified as a psychological mechanism underlying the relationship between chatbot language style and unethical behavior. These findings not only advance our understanding of the unintended consequences of deploying chatbots with cute features but also offer practical insights for offline retailers in designing and implementing chatbot services.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48422,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Information Management","volume":"85 ","pages":"Article 102941"},"PeriodicalIF":20.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144481630","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Eastern Ease and Western Worries? How collectivism and belief in magic increase user acceptance of operationally autonomous blackbox technologies","authors":"Andreas Strebinger , Horst Treiblmaier","doi":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102939","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102939","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>New products and services increasingly require users to relinquish control to so-called “Blackbox” technologies, wherein connections between inputs and outputs appear opaque and uncontrollable. No research has yet investigated whether cultural factors moderate the effect of perceived technological controllability on user acceptance. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior and Bandura's Theory of Human Agency, we examine how Individualism versus Collectivism influences the acceptance of products and services that require users to surrender control to the operationally autonomous Blackbox technologies of Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain. We furthermore investigate the impact of belief in the magical controllability of the world through, e.g., lucky numbers and charms (“belief in magic”). Through three survey-based experiments employing Scenario Techniques featuring fictitious products and services with a total sample size of n = 1750 respondents across the US, India, and Canada, our findings reveal that collectivism and belief in magic increase acceptance of operationally autonomous Blackbox technologies. Conversely, users endorsing the Western cultural norm of individualism and rejecting the magical controllability of the world exhibit heightened skepticism toward such innovations. The moderating effect of Individualism-Collectivism is mediated by a heightened Need for Controllability among individualistic users. Moreover, activating magical thinking amplifies the influence of belief in magic among users predisposed toward such beliefs. Our results stress the importance of considering cultural factors when designing and marketing operationally autonomous applications of Blackbox technologies. They also underscore the need for a broad societal debate and future research on the role of perceived controllability of a technology in user acceptance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48422,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Information Management","volume":"84 ","pages":"Article 102939"},"PeriodicalIF":20.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144329723","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"From self-service to AI-assisted service: A mixed-method study of IT support service provision using search tools and chatbots","authors":"Antino Kim , Agrim Sachdeva , Alan R. Dennis","doi":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102938","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102938","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Organizations are increasingly adopting chatbots for self-service IT support alongside traditional search tools to supplement human-staffed IT support desks. This raises the question of whether investing in chatbots is warranted, given the presence of well-established traditional search tools serving a similar function. We investigate how chatbots compare to self-service search tools from the user’s perspective. We conducted three experiments and a transcript analysis study in the context of self-service IT support using a chatbot versus a search tool, both running on the same large IT support knowledge base. All three experiments found higher user satisfaction with the chatbot than with the search tool. The main study investigated two potential theoretical mechanisms underlying these effects: (i) perceived assistance and (ii) co-creating questions with the chatbot to find an answer. Both significantly contributed to users’ satisfaction and willingness to use, with perceived assistance fully mediating the effect of the chatbot. The transcript analysis study showed that 57 % of user questions were quickly answered (1–2 conversation turns), and another 22 % quickly abandoned without an answer. Co-creation was important in successfully answering the remaining 21 % of questions that took longer than two conversation turns. We conclude that organizations can enhance their self-service IT support by integrating chatbots alongside existing traditional search tools. This transformation effectively shifts the self-service experience into an AI-assisted service experience for users.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48422,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Information Management","volume":"84 ","pages":"Article 102938"},"PeriodicalIF":20.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144322562","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"1 + 1<2? Unveiling the impact of AI-assisted disclosure on service satisfaction in professional services","authors":"Yi Li , Yaping Chang , You Li","doi":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102937","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102937","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>AI-assisted human employees have become widespread, particularly in professional services such as healthcare, law, and management consulting. However, little is known about how consumers respond to AI-assisted employees in professional services. This study examines how disclosing AI-assisted employees in professional services impacts service satisfaction and explores the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions. Through six experiments (N = 1664), we find that disclosing (vs. non-disclosure) AI-assisted employees leads consumers to infer that the employees possess lower professional competence, negatively affecting satisfaction. This effect disappears when consumers perceive AI to have high capability. Moreover, the negative impact is mitigated when a complementary capability or self-selection disclosure strategy is employed. This research provides new insights into the impact of human-AI collaboration and AI disclosure in service delivery. The findings also offer practical implications for organizations and employees using AI assistance in professional service.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48422,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Information Management","volume":"84 ","pages":"Article 102937"},"PeriodicalIF":20.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144271362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Understanding the determinants of falls for deception in telecommunications fraud","authors":"Hsien-Cheng Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102936","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102936","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Computer-mediated communication has become a platform on which perpetrators deceive potential victims. Although telecommunications fraud has attracted considerable interest, limited research has discussed the determinants of what people perceive as persuasive concerning telecommunications fraud. This study combines Social Cognitive Theory and Mimicry-Deception Theory to investigate the antecedents and consequences of victim-perceived persuasiveness with fraud message. Data collected from 300 fraud victims were examined to test the proposed model. The results showed that the plausibility of deception, building of rapport, and resource extraction significantly and positively influenced perceived fraud message persuasiveness, while perceived persuasiveness had a strong positive association with falls for deception. The results also revealed that both anti-deception self-efficacy and reward-based outcome expectations moderated the relationship between resource extraction and perceived persuasiveness, while perceived time pressure from opportunity costs moderated the relationship between perceived persuasiveness and falls for deception. Several theoretical and practical implications are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48422,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Information Management","volume":"84 ","pages":"Article 102936"},"PeriodicalIF":20.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144271361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Joana Rita Nunes , Paulo Rita , Diego Costa Pinto , Héctor Gonzalez-Jimenez , Khaoula Akdim , Rafael Luís Wagner
{"title":"Moral appraisals of generative AI: How mindset framing shapes moral judgments, emotional appraisals and privacy behavior","authors":"Joana Rita Nunes , Paulo Rita , Diego Costa Pinto , Héctor Gonzalez-Jimenez , Khaoula Akdim , Rafael Luís Wagner","doi":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102940","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102940","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapid development of Generative AI (GenAI) and similar technologies has heightened ethical concerns, including privacy issues, discrimination, and data security. However, there is limited understanding of how mindset framing shapes users’ moral judgments and emotional responses toward these technologies. To address this gap, this research examines how framing GenAI, particularly in terms of growth or fixed mindset, influences moral appraisals, emotional reactions, and privacy behaviors. Using a mixed-methods approach, this research combines text mining of a large field dataset (<em>n</em> = 18,035 reviews) with two experimental studies (<em>n</em> = 255 participants). Findings reveal that mindset framing directly influences perceived morality, suggesting that GenAI framed in a growth mindset evokes more positive moral judgments compared to a fixed mindset framing. A growth mindset suggests learning and adaptability, whereas a fixed mindset framing implies that it is immutable and incapable of improvement. Perceived moral judgments mediate the effect of mindset framing (growth vs. fixed) on emotional appraisals. Moreover, mindset framing influences privacy behavior, with participants having low (vs. high) expertise disclosing more under a growth (vs. fixed) mindset. Theoretically, this paper contributes to the literature by integrating key theories on moral judgment, implicit theories, cognitive appraisal theory, and privacy calculus theory, thereby deepening the understanding of moral appraisals regarding GenAI. In practical terms, this research enables organizations to strategically frame GenAI capabilities, positively influencing users' privacy behavior and emotional responses.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48422,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Information Management","volume":"84 ","pages":"Article 102940"},"PeriodicalIF":20.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144271363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Impact of AI on firm ambidextrous innovation: Mediating role of digital knowledge coupling","authors":"Jianlan Li , Yuzhi Wang , Wang Zeng , Kaibo Liang","doi":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102935","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2025.102935","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Amid rapid technological advancement, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a crucial driver of innovation. However, the mechanisms through which AI adoption affects firm technological innovation capabilities remain insufficiently understood. Using a sample of 277 Chinese manufacturing firms from 2015 to 2023, this study analyzes the impact of AI on firm ambidextrous innovation and the mediating role of digital knowledge coupling. The findings demonstrate that AI strengthens exploitative and exploratory innovation capabilities, though its effect on the former is more substantial. Existing digital knowledge coupling is a positive mediator in the relationship between AI and exploitative innovation but functions as a negative mediator in AI’s relationship with exploratory innovation. New digital knowledge coupling positively mediates AI’s effect on exploitative and exploratory innovation. The presence of a chief information officer (CIO) weakens AI’s positive effect on existing digital knowledge coupling, while an executive digital background strengthens AI’s impact on new digital knowledge coupling. AI’s innovation-enabling effects are more potent for non-SOEs and high-tech industries. This study contributes to the literature by illuminating the complex interplay between AI adoption, digital knowledge structures, and firm technological innovation, thereby providing valuable insights for managers seeking to leverage AI for balanced innovation outcomes in an increasingly digital competitive landscape.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48422,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Information Management","volume":"84 ","pages":"Article 102935"},"PeriodicalIF":20.1,"publicationDate":"2025-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144230716","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}