Responsible AI and human collaboration in tourism management : ethical considerations and identity disclosure

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence has evolved from mimicking to enhancing or even surpassing human capabilities in specialized domains. Building on Turing's test and the theory of moral responsibility, this research delves into the ethical and perceptual dimensions of AI-generated content in tourism management through three studies. Study 1 (N=1400) assesses tourists' ability to distinguish AI-generated from human managerial responses and examines their perceptions of responsibility. Study 2 (N=700) develops and validates a multidimensional scale to measure Responsible AI within the tourism industry. Study 3 (N=600) uses a scenario-based experiment to evaluate how collaborative AI-human responses, compared to AI-only or human-only responses, influence tourists' attributions of responsibility and satisfaction, especially when the origin of the response is transparently disclosed. This research advances frameworks for responsible AI in tourism management and emphasizes ethical openness to align technological advances with societal well-being.