The “Other” Agent: Interaction with AI and Its Implications on Social Presence Perceptions of Online Customer Experience

Bianca Kronemann; Hatice Kizgin; Nripendra P. Rana

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-15342-6_6

The “Other” Agent: Interaction with AI and Its Implications on Social Presence Perceptions of Online Customer Experience

Bianca Kronemann^*, Hatice Kizgin, Nripendra P. Rana

^*Corresponding author for this work

Entrepreneurship, Technology, Management

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Academic › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

118 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) such as digital assistants and conversational agents are being adopted fast and wide across consumer industries such as e-commerce, where they act as frontline service agents and interact with customers in service encounters. It is suggested that technology is no longer only the mediator of communication between customers and a company but has potential to become the “other’’ with whom customers interact. Based on this idea, this research adopts Social Response Theory to measure the effects of anthropomorphism of AI, para-social interaction with AI and personalization on perceived social presence of the customer experience, customer loyalty and intentions to engage in eWOM. An online survey with a sample of online consumers, who have previously engaged with a form of AI-technology, is conducted. Quantitative analysis of the data through CFA and SEM shows that perceived social presence has a strong effect on both customer intentions to engage in eWOM and customer loyalty. Further, social presence serves as a mediator for the relationship between an anthropomorphism of AI and para-social interaction with AI on eWOM intentions and customer loyalty. A discussion of these findings and implications concludes this paper.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	The Role of Digital Technologies in Shaping the Post-Pandemic World
Subtitle of host publication	21st IFIP WG 6.11 Conference on e-Business, e-Services and e-Society, I3E 2022 Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, September 13-15, 2022. Proceedings
Editors	Savvas Papagiannidis, Eleftherios Alamanos, Suraksha Gupta, Yogesh K. Dwivedi, Matti Mäntymäki, Ilias O. Pappas
Publisher	Springer
Pages	70-81
Number of pages	12
ISBN (Electronic)	978-3-031-15342-6
ISBN (Print)	978-3-031-15341-9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15342-6_6
Publication status	Published - 6 Sept 2022
Event	21st IFIP WG 6.11 Conference on e-Business, e-Services and e-Society, I3E2022 - Newcastle University Business School, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom Duration: 13 Sept 2022 → 14 Sept 2022 Conference number: 21

Publication series

Name	Lecture notes in computer science
Publisher	Springer
Volume	13454
ISSN (Print)	0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)	1611-3349

Conference

Conference	21st IFIP WG 6.11 Conference on e-Business, e-Services and e-Society, I3E2022
Abbreviated title	I3E 2022
Country/Territory	United Kingdom
City	Newcastle upon Tyne
Period	13/09/22 → 14/09/22

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10.1007/978-3-031-15342-6_6

978-3-031-15342-6_6Final published version, 357 KB

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Kronemann, B., Kizgin, H., & Rana, N. P. (2022). The “Other” Agent: Interaction with AI and Its Implications on Social Presence Perceptions of Online Customer Experience. In S. Papagiannidis, E. Alamanos, S. Gupta, Y. K. Dwivedi, M. Mäntymäki, & I. O. Pappas (Eds.), The Role of Digital Technologies in Shaping the Post-Pandemic World: 21st IFIP WG 6.11 Conference on e-Business, e-Services and e-Society, I3E 2022 Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, September 13-15, 2022. Proceedings (pp. 70-81). (Lecture notes in computer science; Vol. 13454). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15342-6_6

Kronemann, Bianca ; Kizgin, Hatice ; Rana, Nripendra P. / The “Other” Agent : Interaction with AI and Its Implications on Social Presence Perceptions of Online Customer Experience. The Role of Digital Technologies in Shaping the Post-Pandemic World: 21st IFIP WG 6.11 Conference on e-Business, e-Services and e-Society, I3E 2022 Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, September 13-15, 2022. Proceedings. editor / Savvas Papagiannidis ; Eleftherios Alamanos ; Suraksha Gupta ; Yogesh K. Dwivedi ; Matti Mäntymäki ; Ilias O. Pappas. Springer, 2022. pp. 70-81 (Lecture notes in computer science).

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title = "The “Other” Agent: Interaction with AI and Its Implications on Social Presence Perceptions of Online Customer Experience",

abstract = "Advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) such as digital assistants and conversational agents are being adopted fast and wide across consumer industries such as e-commerce, where they act as frontline service agents and interact with customers in service encounters. It is suggested that technology is no longer only the mediator of communication between customers and a company but has potential to become the “other{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} with whom customers interact. Based on this idea, this research adopts Social Response Theory to measure the effects of anthropomorphism of AI, para-social interaction with AI and personalization on perceived social presence of the customer experience, customer loyalty and intentions to engage in eWOM. An online survey with a sample of online consumers, who have previously engaged with a form of AI-technology, is conducted. Quantitative analysis of the data through CFA and SEM shows that perceived social presence has a strong effect on both customer intentions to engage in eWOM and customer loyalty. Further, social presence serves as a mediator for the relationship between an anthropomorphism of AI and para-social interaction with AI on eWOM intentions and customer loyalty. A discussion of these findings and implications concludes this paper.",

author = "Bianca Kronemann and Hatice Kizgin and Rana, {Nripendra P.}",

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Kronemann, B, Kizgin, H & Rana, NP 2022, The “Other” Agent: Interaction with AI and Its Implications on Social Presence Perceptions of Online Customer Experience. in S Papagiannidis, E Alamanos, S Gupta, YK Dwivedi, M Mäntymäki & IO Pappas (eds), The Role of Digital Technologies in Shaping the Post-Pandemic World: 21st IFIP WG 6.11 Conference on e-Business, e-Services and e-Society, I3E 2022 Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, September 13-15, 2022. Proceedings. Lecture notes in computer science, vol. 13454, Springer, pp. 70-81, 21st IFIP WG 6.11 Conference on e-Business, e-Services and e-Society, I3E2022, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, 13/09/22. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15342-6_6

The “Other” Agent: Interaction with AI and Its Implications on Social Presence Perceptions of Online Customer Experience. / Kronemann, Bianca; Kizgin, Hatice; Rana, Nripendra P.
The Role of Digital Technologies in Shaping the Post-Pandemic World: 21st IFIP WG 6.11 Conference on e-Business, e-Services and e-Society, I3E 2022 Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, September 13-15, 2022. Proceedings. ed. / Savvas Papagiannidis; Eleftherios Alamanos; Suraksha Gupta; Yogesh K. Dwivedi; Matti Mäntymäki; Ilias O. Pappas. Springer, 2022. p. 70-81 (Lecture notes in computer science; Vol. 13454).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Academic › peer-review

TY - GEN

T1 - The “Other” Agent

T2 - 21st IFIP WG 6.11 Conference on e-Business, e-Services and e-Society, I3E2022

AU - Kronemann, Bianca

AU - Kizgin, Hatice

AU - Rana, Nripendra P.

N1 - Conference code: 21

PY - 2022/9/6

Y1 - 2022/9/6

N2 - Advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) such as digital assistants and conversational agents are being adopted fast and wide across consumer industries such as e-commerce, where they act as frontline service agents and interact with customers in service encounters. It is suggested that technology is no longer only the mediator of communication between customers and a company but has potential to become the “other’’ with whom customers interact. Based on this idea, this research adopts Social Response Theory to measure the effects of anthropomorphism of AI, para-social interaction with AI and personalization on perceived social presence of the customer experience, customer loyalty and intentions to engage in eWOM. An online survey with a sample of online consumers, who have previously engaged with a form of AI-technology, is conducted. Quantitative analysis of the data through CFA and SEM shows that perceived social presence has a strong effect on both customer intentions to engage in eWOM and customer loyalty. Further, social presence serves as a mediator for the relationship between an anthropomorphism of AI and para-social interaction with AI on eWOM intentions and customer loyalty. A discussion of these findings and implications concludes this paper.

AB - Advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) such as digital assistants and conversational agents are being adopted fast and wide across consumer industries such as e-commerce, where they act as frontline service agents and interact with customers in service encounters. It is suggested that technology is no longer only the mediator of communication between customers and a company but has potential to become the “other’’ with whom customers interact. Based on this idea, this research adopts Social Response Theory to measure the effects of anthropomorphism of AI, para-social interaction with AI and personalization on perceived social presence of the customer experience, customer loyalty and intentions to engage in eWOM. An online survey with a sample of online consumers, who have previously engaged with a form of AI-technology, is conducted. Quantitative analysis of the data through CFA and SEM shows that perceived social presence has a strong effect on both customer intentions to engage in eWOM and customer loyalty. Further, social presence serves as a mediator for the relationship between an anthropomorphism of AI and para-social interaction with AI on eWOM intentions and customer loyalty. A discussion of these findings and implications concludes this paper.

U2 - 10.1007/978-3-031-15342-6_6

DO - 10.1007/978-3-031-15342-6_6

M3 - Conference contribution

SN - 978-3-031-15341-9

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A2 - Dwivedi, Yogesh K.

A2 - Mäntymäki, Matti

A2 - Pappas, Ilias O.

PB - Springer

Y2 - 13 September 2022 through 14 September 2022

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Kronemann B, Kizgin H, Rana NP. The “Other” Agent: Interaction with AI and Its Implications on Social Presence Perceptions of Online Customer Experience. In Papagiannidis S, Alamanos E, Gupta S, Dwivedi YK, Mäntymäki M, Pappas IO, editors, The Role of Digital Technologies in Shaping the Post-Pandemic World: 21st IFIP WG 6.11 Conference on e-Business, e-Services and e-Society, I3E 2022 Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, September 13-15, 2022. Proceedings. Springer. 2022. p. 70-81. (Lecture notes in computer science). doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-15342-6_6

The “Other” Agent: Interaction with AI and Its Implications on Social Presence Perceptions of Online Customer Experience

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