“Yes, It’s Cute, But How Can I Be Sure It’s Safe or Not?” Investigating the Intention to Use Service Robots in the Context of Privacy Calculus

Abstract

Technological advancements have made artificial intelligence and robotic systems more functional, intelligent as well vulnerable. This development caused fresh discussions about service robots in tourism and hospitality service settings where privacy is crucial. One of these discussions is the privacy of personal information and the attitude toward service robots. With a focus on current discussions, this study aims to explore the relationship between the perceived benefits and risks of disclosing personal information and the intention to use service robots. This study also hypothesized that willingness to disclose information privacy influence the intention to use service robot. In this study, an online survey was used as a method of quantitative research. A total of 541 responses were received during the data collection process. Model and hypotheses were tested using partial least squares structural equation modelling. The results of this research showed that perceived personalization and personal innovativeness were associated with the perceived benefits of information disclosure. Meanwhile, it was found that the unauthorized secondary use of personal data and perceived policy effectiveness were negatively related to the perceived risks of information disclosure. Overall, the results indicated that perceptions of disclosing personal information under privacy calculus were related to the intention to use a service robot.