The adoption of artificial intelligence and robotics in the hotel industry: prospects and challenges
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RESEARCH PAPER
The adoption of artificial intelligence and robotics in the hotel industry: prospects and challenges Kichan Nam 1 & Christopher S. Dutt 2
&
Prakash Chathoth 1 & Abdelkader Daghfous 1 & M. Sajid Khan 1
Received: 29 February 2020 / Accepted: 17 September 2020 # Institute of Applied Informatics at University of Leipzig 2020
Abstract The growth of technology has resulted in the use of state-of-the-art systems such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robot-based applications and services in the hotel industry. Recently, there has been some discussion on the adoption of such technologies and their impact on hotels’ operational costs as well as the quality of service to customers. Considering the importance of these new technologies, this paper investigates the trend related to the adoption of AI and robotics in the hotel industry. For this purpose, we interviewed senior hotel asset managers using an in-depth case study method. The context is Dubai-based hotels as Dubai is already established as one of the premier smart cities of the world (Khan et al., 2017). The TOE framework was used, and three domains were investigated: technology, organization, and environment to expose the underlying factors effecting AI adoption. The findings expose the factors that influence the adoption of AI and robotics in hotels. This study is one of early attempts to investigate the full spectrum of AI in relation to the hotel industry while detailing how its adoption could be effectuated. Keywords Artificial intelligence . Robotics . Hotel . Hospitality . Dubai . Smart technology . Smart tourism JEL classification O33
Introduction
This article is part of the Topical Collection on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics in Travel, Tourism and Leisure. Responsible Editor: Marianna Sigala * Christopher S. Dutt [email protected] Kichan Nam [email protected] Prakash Chathoth [email protected] Abdelkader Daghfous [email protected] M. Sajid Khan [email protected] 1
Department of Marketing and Information Systems, School of Business Administration, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE
2
Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, Dubai, UAE
Artificial intelligence has become popular in recent times as more firms have started to adopt AI and robotics to automate processes. AI-based solutions are considered to be smart enough to completely substitute human activities while improving the speed and accuracy of transactions. To successfully implement AI in business activities, firms need to overcome several obstacles (Davenport & Ronanki, 2018). For instance, AI is still too expensive or risky to adopt because the technology is new and managers generally lack expertise and understanding of how to implement it (Davenport & Ronanki, 2018). Furthermore, uncertainty exists regarding the various impacts AI could cause, which may lead to negative consequences. One of the most notable and commonly described impacts is the effect upon jobs; will AI and robotics replace people (Belanche et al., 2019)? Applying AI in the real world re
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