Can chatbots represent? Examining the potential for symbolic representation in automated service agents
通过联合实验比较聊天机器人与人类代理在公共服务中的符号表征潜力，发现公民普遍偏好人类代理，且仅对人类代理存在种族匹配偏好。
This study investigates citizens’ perceptions of automated service agents with human-like traits, within the context of public higher education. Drawing from representative bureaucracy and human-computer interaction literature, we assess the potential for symbolic representation by comparing chatbots to human agents. Using a conjoint experiment with visual demographic cues, we find a general preference for human agents over chatbots regardless of the demographic match. While there is limited evidence for symbolic representation generated by chatbots, citizens prefer matching-race service agents when they are human. This study reflects on the role of chatbots as service agents and suggests directions for future research.