Unintended prosocial consequences of robot prevalence: The mediating role of realistic threat

With the growing shift to service automation in the hospitality industry, robot prevalence is on the rise. Drawing on the intergroup threat theory and terror management theory, we argue that as service robots become more prevalent, consumers may become prosocial in response to a realistic threat. Additionally, we theorize that these effects will be salient among those who are employed, especially those who use artificial intelligence or robots at work. The results of four experimental studies support our hypotheses. Our findings provide practical insight into how companies can leverage such behavioral shifts among consumers to maximize the effectiveness of their prosocial initiatives. • Consumers may become prosocial as service robots become more prevalent. • The effect of robot prevalence is explained by realistic threat. • The robot prevalence effect is stronger among employed individuals. • The robot prevalence effect is stronger among individuals using AI/robots at work.