Automated Versus Human Agents: A Meta-Analysis of Customer Responses to Robots, Chatbots, and Algorithms and Their Contingencies

This meta-analysis examines when three types of automated agents (AAs)—robots, chatbots, and algorithms—are equivalent to human agents (HAs) in marketing roles. An analysis of 943 effect sizes from 327 studies provides novel insights. First, customers may be skeptical of AAs; however, they value their performance and eventually choose or buy from them as if they were interacting with HAs. Second, each of the three AA types has a unique set of contingencies that affect its human equivalence; previously identified contingencies do not generalize and can even have opposing effects across AA types. This study also identifies novel contingencies, such as the multifaceted concept of artificial intelligence required to fulfill a task. Third, some contingencies make AAs more humanlike, while others make their machine characteristics salient. These findings enrich the concept of automated social presence (ASP), suggesting that AAs are hybrid beings with a social presence (i.e., the feeling of interacting with a humanlike entity) and an automated presence (i.e., the feeling of interacting with a machine entity). The authors provide recommendations on when AAs can replace HAs in marketing roles to release capacity and alleviate labor shortages. They also suggest a future research agenda.