A review of research into automation in tourism: Launching the Annals of Tourism Research Curated Collection on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics in Tourism

Abstract Driven by the advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and its related technologies, the application of intelligent automation in travel and tourism is expected to increase in the future. This paper unpacks the need to shape an automated future of tourism as a social phenomenon and an economic activity, hence contributes to theory and practice by providing directions for future research in this area. Four research priorities are suggested: designing beneficial AI, facilitating adoption, assessing the impacts of intelligent automation, and creating a sustainable future with artificial intelligence. Research in these areas will allow for a systematic knowledge production that reflects a concerted effort from the scientific community to ensuring the beneficial applications of intelligent automation in tourism. The article also launches the Annals of Tourism Research Curated Collection on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. The Collection contains all past articles published in Annals of Tourism Research on the topic, and continues to grow as new articles are added.

[1]  Raj Madhavan,et al.  The Impact of Robotics and Automation on Working Conditions and Employment [Ethical, Legal, and Societal Issues] , 2018, IEEE Robotics Autom. Mag..

[2]  Pierre F. Gonod.  Décrypter l'avenir. À propos du livre d'Edward Cornish, Futuring: The Exploration of the Future. , 2004 .

[3]  Mark Brosnan,et al.  Technophobia: The Psychological Impact of Information Technology , 1998 .

[4]  Don Monroe,et al.  AI, explain yourself , 2018, Commun. ACM.

[5]  Ulrike Gretzel,et al.  Marketing robot services in hospitality and tourism: the role of anthropomorphism , 2019, Future of Tourism Marketing.

[6]  Deniz Erdogmus,et al.  The Future of Human-in-the-Loop Cyber-Physical Systems , 2013, Computer.

[7]  Rob Law,et al.  The potential for tourism and hospitality experience research in human-robot interactions , 2017 .

[8]  Gianmarco Veruggio,et al.  Roboethics [TC Spotlight] , 2010 .

[9]  B. Bass.  From transactional to transformational leadership: Learning to share the vision. , 1990 .

[10]  Chris Arney.  Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness , 2015 .

[11]  Eduardo Zalama Casanova,et al.  Long-term assessment of a service robot in a hotel environment , 2016, Robotics Auton. Syst..

[12]  Gianmarco Veruggio,et al.  Roboethics: Social and Ethical Implications of Robotics , 2008, Springer Handbook of Robotics.

[13]  Fred D. Davis.  Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology , 1989, MIS Q..

[14]  Yongming Wu,et al.  Review of Research on the Key Technologies, Application Fields and Development Trends of Intelligent Robots , 2018, ICIRA.

[15]  Michael Brady,et al.  Artificial Intelligence and Robotics , 1985, Artif. Intell..

[16]  Stanislav Ivanov,et al.  Robots in tourism: A research agenda for tourism economics , 2019, Tourism Economics.

[17]  Robert J. Holton,et al.  Technology, innovation, employment and power: Does robotics and artificial intelligence really mean social transformation? , 2018 .

[18]  Roberto Moreno-Díaz,et al.  A Social Robot in a Tourist Environment , 2014, UCAmI.

[19]  Eduardo Serrano,et al.  Internet of Intelligent Things: Bringing Artificial Intelligence into Things and Communication Networks , 2014 .

[20]  Eduardo Zalama Casanova,et al.  Sacarino, a Service Robot in a Hotel Environment , 2013, ROBOT.

[21]  Peter Fritzson,et al.  Computerized Model Based Functional Safety Analysis , 2012 .

[22]  G. Quintini,et al.  Automation, skills use and training , 2018 .

[23]  Derek Doran,et al.  What Does Explainable AI Really Mean? A New Conceptualization of Perspectives , 2017, CEx@AI*IA.

[24]  L. Punzo,et al.  Tourist development and host–guest interaction: An economic exchange theory , 2016 .

[25]  Amnon H. Eden,et al.  Singularity Hypotheses: A Scientific and Philosophical Assessment , 2013 .

[26]  D. Chessell.  THE JOBLESS ECONOMY IN A POST-WORK SOCIETY: HOW AUTOMATION WILL TRANSFORM THE LABOR MARKET , 2018 .

[27]  Iis P. Tussyadiah,et al.  Mediating tourist experiences: access to places via shared videos. , 2009 .

[28]  Martin Lindvall,et al.  From machine learning to machine teaching , 2018, Interactions.

[29]  Vincent Wing Sun Tung,et al.  Exploring customer experiences with robotics in hospitality , 2018, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.

[30]  Ulrike Gretzel,et al.  Smart tourism: foundations and developments , 2015, Electronic Markets.

[31]  Sang Ryong Kim,et al.  Are physically embodied social agents better than disembodied social agents?: The effects of physical embodiment, tactile interaction, and people's loneliness in human-robot interaction , 2006, Int. J. Hum. Comput. Stud..

[32]  Era Dabla-Norris,et al.  Gender, Technology, and the Future of Work , 2018 .

[33]  Antonio Iera,et al.  The Internet of Things: A survey , 2010, Comput. Networks.

[34]  Varun Grover,et al.  Technostress: Technological Antecedents and Implications , 2011, MIS Q..

[35]  Stephen M. Millett,et al.  Futuring and visioning: complementary approaches to strategic decision making , 2006 .

[36]  I. Ajzen,et al.  Belief, Attitude, Intention, and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research , 1977 .

[37]  Jan vom Brocke,et al.  Digital nudging , 2018, Commun. ACM.

[38]  F. Schiavone,et al.  Limits to the diffusion of innovation: A literature review and integrative model , 2010 .

[39]  Iis P. Tussyadiah,et al.  Privacy Protection in Tourism: Where We Are and Where We Should Be Heading For , 2018, ENTER.

[40]  Ulrike Gretzel,et al.  Dawning of the Age of Robots in Hospitality and Tourism: Challenges for Teaching and Research , 2017, European Journal of Tourism Research.

[41]  Alessandro Saffiotti,et al.  Towards a science of integrated AI and Robotics , 2017, Artif. Intell..

[42]  I. Ajzen.  The theory of planned behavior , 1991 .

[43]  Iis P. Tussyadiah,et al.  Nudged by a robot: Responses to agency and feedback , 2019, Annals of Tourism Research.

[44]  Peter Norvig,et al.  Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach , 1995 .

[45]  Peter Pelzer,et al.  2050—An Energetic Odyssey: Understanding ‘Techniques of Futuring’ in the transition towards renewable energy , 2018, Energy Research & Social Science.

[46]  Adrian Smith,et al.  Innovation studies and sustainability transitions: The allure of the multi-level perspective and its challenges , 2010 .

[47]  Sebastian Thrun,et al.  Toward a Framework for Human-Robot Interaction , 2004, Hum. Comput. Interact..

[48]  Iis P. Tussyadiah,et al.  Leveraging LEGO® Serious Play® to embrace AI and robots in tourism , 2020 .

[49]  Lu Lu,et al.  Developing and validating a service robot integration willingness scale , 2019, International Journal of Hospitality Management.

[50]  Erik Brynjolfsson,et al.  Artificial Intelligence and the Modern Productivity Paradox: A Clash of Expectations and Statistics , 2017 .

[51]  Raffaele Filieri,et al.  Resident-tourist value co-creation: The role of residents' perceived tourism impacts and life satisfaction , 2017 .

[52]  N. Schillewaert,et al.  Organizational innovation adoption: a multi-level framework of determinants and opportunities for future research , 2002 .

[53]  Ulrike Gretzel,et al.  Intelligent systems in tourism: a social science perspective , 2011 .

[54]  T. Kanda,et al.  Measurement of negative attitudes toward robots , 2006 .

[55]  Frans Berkhout,et al.  Evaluating sustainability transitions pathways: Bridging analytical approaches to address governance challenges , 2015 .

[56]  Ulrike Gretzel,et al.  Conceptual foundations for understanding smart tourism ecosystems , 2015, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[57]  Jason Shun Wong,et al.  Design and fiction , 2018, Interactions.

[58]  Iis P. Tussyadiah,et al.  Segmenting Travelers Based on Responses to Nudging for Information Disclosure. , 2019 .

[59]  Iis P. Tussyadiah,et al.  Consumer Evaluation of Hotel Service Robots , 2018, ENTER.

[60]  Tatsuya Nomura,et al.  Experimental investigation into influence of negative attitudes toward robots on human–robot interaction , 2006, AI & SOCIETY.

[61]  George A. Bekey,et al.  Robot ethics: Mapping the issues for a mechanized world , 2011, Artif. Intell..

[62]  A. Pizam,et al.  The intensity of tourist–host social relationship and its effects on satisfaction and change of attitudes: the case of working tourists in Israel , 2000 .

[63]  Gönenç Gürkaynak,et al.  Stifling artificial intelligence: Human perils , 2016, Comput. Law Secur. Rev..

[64]  Alberto Sanfeliu Cortés,et al.  Legal challenges for networking robots deployment in European urban areas: the privacy issue , 2009 .

[65]  B. Duffy,et al.  What is a social robot , 1999 .

[66]  Zhuang Fu,et al.  Industrial Robot : An International Journal An autonomous restaurant service robot with high positioning accuracy , 2016 .

[67]  A. Tjoa,et al.  Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism , 1996, Springer Vienna.

[68]  Amir F. Atiya,et al.  An Empirical Comparison of Machine Learning Models for Time Series Forecasting , 2010 .

[69]  Simson L. Garfinkel,et al.  De-Identification of Personal Information , 2015 .

[70]  B. Truffer,et al.  Sustainability transitions: An emerging field of research and its prospects , 2012 .

[71]  Philip van Allen,et al.  Prototyping ways of prototyping AI , 2018, Interactions.

[72]  Roland T. Rust,et al.  Artificial Intelligence in Service , 2018 .

[73]  Stanislav Ivanov,et al.  What Should Robots Do? A Comparative Analysis of Industry Professionals, Educators and Tourists , 2018, ENTER.

[74]  Mark A. Bonn,et al.  Hotel employee's artificial intelligence and robotics awareness and its impact on turnover intention: The moderating roles of perceived organizational support and competitive psychological climate , 2019, Tourism Management.

[75]  Monideepa Tarafdar,et al.  The dark side of information technology use , 2013, Inf. Syst. J..

[76]  Stanislav Ivanov,et al.  Perceived Appropriateness and Intention to Use Service Robots in Tourism , 2018, ENTER.

[77]  S. F. Witt,et al.  The endearment behaviour of tourists through their interaction with the host community , 1994 .

[78]  Nils J. Nilsson,et al.  Human-Level Artificial Intelligence? Be Serious! , 2005, AI Mag..

[79]  Iis P. Tussyadiah.  Technology and Behavioral Design in Tourism , 2017 .

[80]  E. Rogers,et al.  Diffusion of innovations , 1964, Encyclopedia of Sport Management.

[81]  Mohammad Hossein Jarrahi,et al.  Artificial intelligence and the future of work: Human-AI symbiosis in organizational decision making , 2018, Business Horizons.

[82]  K. Schwab.  The Fourth Industrial Revolution , 2013 .

[83]  Wendy Ju,et al.  Cybernetics and the design of the user experience of AI systems , 2018, Interactions.

[84]  Fred D. Davis,et al.  A Theoretical Extension of the Technology Acceptance Model: Four Longitudinal Field Studies , 2000, Management Science.

[85]  Lida Xu,et al.  The internet of things: a survey , 2014, Information Systems Frontiers.

[86]  B. J. Fogg,et al.  A behavior model for persuasive design , 2009, Persuasive '09.

[87]  Antonio Iera,et al.  Understanding the Internet of Things: definition, potentials, and societal role of a fast evolving paradigm , 2017, Ad Hoc Networks.

[88]  Arne De Keyser,et al.  “Service Encounter 2.0”: an investigation into the roles of technology, employees and customers , 2017 .

[89]  Ugo Pagallo,et al.  The Impact of Domestic Robots on Privacy and Data Protection, and the Troubles with Legal Regulation by Design , 2016 .

[90]  Tim Menzies,et al.  Verification and Validation and Artificial Intelligence , 2005, Adv. Comput..

[91]  Viswanath Venkatesh,et al.  Consumer Acceptance and Use of Information Technology: Extending the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology , 2012, MIS Q..

[92]  Kerstin Dautenhahn,et al.  The Art of Designing Socially Intelligent Agents: Science, Fiction, and the Human in the Loop , 1998, Appl. Artif. Intell..

[93]  Stuart J. Russell,et al.  Research Priorities for Robust and Beneficial Artificial Intelligence , 2015, AI Mag..

[94]  Ian Yeoman,et al.  Robots, men and sex tourism , 2012 .

[95]  Louis C. Buffardi,et al.  Perceived Organizational Support: A Meta-Analytic Evaluation of Organizational Support Theory , 2017 .

[96]  I. René J. A. te Boekhorst,et al.  Avoiding the uncanny valley: robot appearance, personality and consistency of behavior in an attention-seeking home scenario for a robot companion , 2008, Auton. Robots.

[97]  CACM staff.  In the Virtual Extension , 2011, Commun. ACM.

[98]  Martin Ebner,et al.  De-Identification in Learning Analytics , 2016, J. Learn. Anal..

[99]  XuLi,et al.  The Internet of Things--A survey of topics and trends , 2015 .

[100]  Philip van Allen.  Prototyping ways of prototyping AI , 2018, Interactions.

[101]  K. Frenken,et al.  Evolutionary theorizing and modeling of sustainability transitions , 2012 .

[102]  Gordon B. Davis,et al.  User Acceptance of Information Technology: Toward a Unified View , 2003, MIS Q..

[103]  Vural Özdemir,et al.  Birth of Industry 5.0: Making Sense of Big Data with Artificial Intelligence, "The Internet of Things" and Next-Generation Technology Policy. , 2018, Omics : a journal of integrative biology.

[104]  Zoltán Szántó,et al.  Social futuring – An analytical conceptual framework , 2018, Society and Economy.

[105]  M. Mori,et al.  The Uncanny Valley: The Original Essay by Masahiro Mori-IEEE Spectrum , 2017 .

[106]  R. Frambach.  An Integrated Model of Organizational Adoption and Diffusion of Innovations , 1993 .

[107]  Nils J. Nilsson,et al.  Artificial Intelligence , 1974, IFIP Congress.

[108]  Iis P. Tussyadiah.  Toward a Theoretical Foundation for Experience Design in Tourism , 2014 .

[109]  Christoph Schneider,et al.  Digital Nudging–Guiding Choices by Using Interface Design , 2017 .