The Role of Human Talents in the Era of Artificial Intelligence

As we have entered into the era of artificial intelligence (AI), today's AI-based technologies are not only assisting in mass production factories but also becoming socially intelligent – they are now utilized to interact with customers in frontline services. While the heated debate on whether AI will replace human employees continues, research evidence has shown that AI does not always outperform humans, especially in contexts such as tourism and hospitality service settings where person-to-person contact and personalized experiences are essential. A famous example is the first robot hotel in Japan which ended up replacing half of its robots with human staff. Some studies found customers still prefer human service in hospitality settings due to a number of reasons, such as the perception of humans as more effective communication partners, and the low perceived interaction quality and human sensitivity of service robots. Some studies also show that humans outperform service robots when it comes to building relationships and friendships with customers.