Automated Versus Human-Operated: Impact of AI-Driven Autonomous Stores on Prosocial Behavior

Abstract

Many leading retailers have introduced AI-driven autonomous stores, sparking a trend that others are eager to follow. Although prior research has emphasized consumer acceptance of these formats and their operational advantages (e.g., reduced costs, improved efficiency), their broader societal consequences remain underexplored. Across nine online and field experiments, this research demonstrates that consumers engage in less prosocial behavior after interacting with AI-driven autonomous (vs. human-operated) stores. This effect stems from a diminished sense of social connectedness caused by the absence of human interaction at key service touchpoints (e.g., reception, checkout) and persists across both nonembodied and embodied humanlike AI systems. Three boundary conditions specify when this adverse effect can be mitigated, spanning the consumer context (joint consumption), firm context (consumer-welfare AI framing), and charitable organization context (self-benefiting prosocial appeal). Together, these findings provide the first empirical evidence of the social costs associated with autonomous retail formats and offer actionable insights for marketers, charitable organizations, and policymakers seeking to balance technological efficiency with societal well-being in an increasingly automated world.