Smiley bots, satisfied citizens? The impact of AI humanization on citizen experience in public services
研究通过调查实验，探讨AI聊天机器人的拟人化回应如何影响公民感知的温暖和能力，以及这种影响在程序化与非程序化服务中的差异，为设计公民友好且维护公共价值的AI服务提供指导。
This study examines how AI humanization influences citizen experience in public service delivery by integrating the Stereotype Content Model (SCM) and Emotion as Social Information (EASI) theory. Focusing on AI chatbots as a research context, we explore how humanized responses shape perceived warmth and competence and whether effects differ between programmed and non-programmed services through a survey experiment with four vignette-based scenarios. Findings underscore the importance of context-sensitive and carefully calibrated AI design and functioning choices. By linking SCM’s content dimensions with EASI’s affective and inferential mechanisms, the study provides a social-psychological lens to understand citizen–government interactions in AI-driven public administration and provides practical guidance for designing AI-enabled services that remain citizen-friendly while safeguarding core public values.