Following instructions with a robot: a justice perspective - Prof Valentina Pitardi

Place : Room 3.216 - Campus Grand Paris and online
Time : 12pm-1:30pm
Speaker : Prof. Valentina Pitardi - Surrey Business School
Discussant : Kunal Suri, Ph.D., Computer Scientist, European R&D Project Manager, Technology Research Division, Institute LIST, Software & Systems Engineering Department (DILS), French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission (CEA) 

Biography : Valentina Pitardi is Senior Lecturer in Marketing at Surrey Business School, specialising in the areas of digital marketing and consumer behaviour. Prior to joining Surrey Business School, she held an academic position at the University of Portsmouth and KEDGE Business School.  Valentina's research interests include the consumer psychology of technology usage and consumer engagement, with her most recent research focusing on the psychological implications of anthropomorphism and interactions with AI agents (robots, chatbots, and voice-assistants). Her works have been published in several international outlets such as the Journal of Business Research, Psychology and Marketing, Journal of Service Management, and Journal of Public Policy and Marketing. Valentina serves as Associate Editor of the International Journal of Market Research and sits on the editorial board of several marketing journals. Her work has been featured in world-leading media outlets such as BCC and The Conversation. Valentina holds a PhD and M.Phil. in Marketing and a B.A. in Sociology and Communication Study from Sapienza University of Rome.

Abstract : Instructions are crucial to facilitate the functioning of society as well service encounters and individual compliance with such instructions is deemed essential for successful service delivery and experience. Today, companies are increasingly adopting robots as instructions providers. For example, physical robots are now in charge of managing the circulation of cars at Singapore airport and will soon support Emirates Airlines’ staff in flight boarding processes. Within this new reality, important questions arise: will consumers comply with instructions delivered by a robot? Or would they only do so under certain conditions? In this presentation we will explore these questions. Across eight studies involving real interactions with robots, we find that consumers comply less with robot instructions because they perceive that systems deploying robots are less fair. We will discuss implications of these results for the design of effective service systems and governance processes that require compliance and cooperation.

For further information, please contact Professor Margherita Pagani: margherita.pagani@skema.edu