User resistance to humanoid AI robots in public libraries: an appraisal theory perspective

Abstract

Public libraries have been long recognized as centres of learning and major source of information. However, the digital era revolutionises the role of the libraries. Being exposed to the digital resources provided by Google and Wikipedia, libraries are at risk of becoming obsolete. As a strategic response, libraries have adopted artificial intelligence (AI) systems (humanoid robots) to stay relevant in the digital age. This technology innovation, however, has negative unintended consequences that may trigger negative user responses, in particular, user resistance to the AI robots. This study draws on cognitive-appraisal theory to examine the impact of unintended consequences of library AI robot adoption on user resistance. We build a new theoretical model and aim to test it using an online survey with users of library AI robots.