AI-enabled nudging in tourism and hospitality: A systematic review and research agenda through the lens of “MINDSPACE”

This systematic literature review explores the emergent role of AI-driven nudges in informing both behavioral interventions and decision-making. The review provides the first overview of the MINDSPACE framework which commonly employs the intervention factors of messenger, incentives, norms, defaults, salience, priming, affect, commitment, and ego when examining AI nudging in tourism and hospitality. The review also sheds light on how AI technologies propel user behavior ethically and effectively in digital ecosystems. Five academic databases produced 228 articles, 81 of which included in the study. Thematic analysis revealed five salient themes in AI-enhanced nudging, including personalization, default settings, norm activation, and affective cues, as key behavioral intervention mechanisms. The majority drew upon behavioral economics and technology acceptance theory; however, commitment and ego require further examination, providing areas for future studies in identity-driven nudging. A theory-driven synthesis offers a structural behavioral framework for AI-nudge strategies in tourism and hospitality operations.