Dual-Path Effects of AI versus Human Agent Apologies in Service Failure Contexts A Study on the Mediating Role of Disgust and the Moderating Role of Power Perception in the Civil Aviation Industry

Widespread application of artificial intelligence technology has hastened its usage in services sectors. Unlike standardized settings like e-commerce, civil aviation services encompass high emotional involvement and intricate emergent situations, where customers respond with intense emotional responses and require higher timeliness for service recovery. As a result, optimizing the apology agent (AI agents vs. Human agents) to maximize customer satisfaction has become a top priority for airlines for ensuring client relationships. This research examines the effects of varied apology agents on civil aviation online customer service on consumers' attitudes, with a probe into the mediating effect of disgust and moderating role of power perception. The research outcomes indicate that AI agent apology greatly increased customer satisfaction compared to Human agent apology. Disgust partially mediated the relationship between apology agents and attitudes of consumers, with the moderating role of power perception positively influencing the efficacy of apology agents. Thus, airlines need to craft contextualized apology strategies by using AI efficiency along with Human agents' emotional support and give utmost importance to AI-based recovery processes for customers with high perceived power.