Exploring the effect of humor in robot failure

Abstract

Service robots are playing an increasing role in tourism and hospitality. However, this advanced technology is not immune to mistakes. The current research focuses on whether humor could be an effective recovery method in robot failure. Drawing on benign violation theory and regulatory focus theory, two experiments are conducted to demonstrate that, in low-severity failure conditions, humorous responses lead to higher humor appreciation and more positive customer evaluations. However, in high-severity failure conditions, humorous responses lead to higher perceived insincerity and more negative customer evaluations. We also examine the moderating role of anthropomorphism. This paper identifies whether and when humor is appropriate in robot failure and elucidates the introduction and promotion of robot services for managers.