The Role of AI and XR in Reshaping Customer-Provider Interactions in Cultural Ecosystem Services

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Introduction

AI (artificial intelligence) agents (e.g., chatbots and robots) are increasingly becoming viable representatives of service providers, enhancing their ability to meet consumer demands across different sectors by personalizing consumer-provider interactions (Huang and Rust, 2018). Generative AI (e.g., chatGPT) is used to create personal interactions with tourists (Wang, 2024; Dwivedi et al., 2024; Wong et al., 2023) or enhance customer support services. XR (Extended Reality) has transformed service delivery and customer-provider interactions by extending the physical world to new virtual channels (e.g., Metaverse and Virtual Reality). Interacting with avatars embedded in virtual environments can help customers discuss emotional and value-driven interpretations related to artworks in virtual museums (Lucifora et al., 2023). In combination with AI, these virtual avatars can personalize the experience and enable consumers to interact with providers in services such as virtual museum tours (Loureiro and Rato, 2023), virtually exploring endangered wildlife habitats, fashion runways, and other immersive experiences in the realm of cultural ecosystem services (CES). 

Cultural ecosystem services are “non-material benefits people derive from ecosystems, through spiritual satisfaction, recreation, and aesthetic experiences“ (Dang and Li, 2023, p.1; Church et al., 2011; Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2023). More specifically, CES refers to all the services resulting from the interaction of humans with nature (Li et al., 2023). Some examples include the benefits of recreational and leisure activities or the spiritual inspiration that people get from the natural world. Sustainable fashion, fashion based on local cultural traditions, cultural heritage protection, and art are also examples in which customers can perceive such non-material benefits. For instance, sustainable fashion clothes can express personality, style, social status, and belonging while enhancing emotional well-being due to the use of eco-friendly materials. Cultural heritage protection can provide a sense of identity and belonging to a particular culture and tradition, thus enhancing well-being. Art can convey emotions and feelings and encourage appreciation of aesthetics and cultural diversity while inspiring creativity. 

Emerging technologies (e.g., Metaverse, XR, and generative AI) are transforming how we interact in cultural ecosystem services, bridging the gap between traditional art forms and modern expressions and fostering a deeper appreciation of aesthetics and cultural diversity (Buhalis et al., 2023; Jung et al., 2023). XR recreates lost artworks for educational purposes (Innocente, 2023), and generative AI can aid in preserving endangered languages and help customers co-create art and music (Kelly, 2024; Moore and Acharya, 2023). AI can also be embedded in chatbots, virtual assistants, and virtual avatars that guide consumers to reflect on how to make better use of the existing cultural ecosystem resources (Guerreiro and Loureiro, 2023; Loureiro et al., 2023). However, despite these technological advancements, our understanding of the interaction dynamics between customers and providers of cultural ecosystem services, within these new technologies, remains limited. Existing literature is calling for more research in cultural ecosystem services (e.g., Acikgoz et al., 2023; Stylos, 2022; Stylos, 2023; Stylos et al., 2021; Donthu et al., 2021), emphasizing the importance of both conceptual and empirical studies that offer insights into the interactions between customers and providers through AI and XR technologies.  

Scope of the special issue 

This special issue intends to capture the latest trends in interactions between customers and providers by leveraging technology capabilities. The aims of this special issue are twofold: (i) to encourage discussion on the interaction between customers and providers through the interface of AI and XR in the cultural ecosystem services context (e.g., fashion, cultural heritage, museums, and other art exhibition venues), and (ii) to provide scholars with a platform to share insights, empirical findings, and theoretical contributions about AI and XR’s impact in cultural ecosystem services. 

This special issue welcomes high-quality submissions that bring research into the evolution of customers and providers with AI and XR technologies. The research can explore diverse cognitive (e.g., learning, knowledge), emotional (e.g., fear, guilt, pleasure, pride), or psychological (e.g., narcissism, altruism, extroversion) dimensions of the interaction between humans and technologies at different levels (e.g., the interaction between customers and technology-enhanced providers such as robots with AI or generative AI chatbots). Technological providers can be integrated into robots, chatbots, smart assistants (including generative AI assistants), virtual avatars (Loureiro et al., 2021), or others. This special issue presents an opportunity for researchers to investigate how these technologies influence consumer-provider interactions, thereby addressing a significant gap in the current literature. The submitted research should share one common theme, which is their focus on cultural ecosystem services.  

We encourage a diverse range of research methodologies, including qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, and case studies, to explore these themes from various perspectives. 

List of Topic Areas

We invite contributions investigating (but not limited to) the following topics within the context of cultural ecosystem services: 

• Understand cognitive (e.g., learning, knowledge), emotional (e.g., fear, guilt, pleasure, pride), and psychological (e.g., narcissism, altruism, extroversion) aspects in the customer-provider relationships with AI and XR technologies. 
• Understand border conditions of the customer-provider relationships with AI and XR technologies in the attachment-avoidance continuum. 
• Analyse how relationship quality concepts (e.g., partner quality, interdependence, self-connection, intimacy) operate in the customer-provider relationships with AI and XR technologies. 
• Bring concepts from social psychology and close relationships to give more insight into customer-provider relationships with AI and XR technologies (e.g., fashion (luxury service), heritage, art). 
• Explore how the customer-provider relationships with AI and XR technologies contribute to enhancing or decreasing customer well-being (the boundary conditions). 

Submissions Information

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Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to ““Please select the issue you are submitting to”. 
Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.

Key Deadlines

Submissions close: ​​01/03/2025​ 

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