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About

Lisa Cain is a hospitality and tourism researcher whose work sits at the dynamic intersection of emerging technology and service industry practice, with a particular focus on robotics and artificial intelligence. Her landmark 2019 review, "From Sci-Fi to Sci-Fact," has garnered 136 citations and established her as a leading voice in mapping the landscape of AI and robotics adoption across hospitality and tourism contexts, synthesizing existing literature while charting directions for future inquiry. Building on this foundation, Cain has pursued nuanced investigations into how specific consumer groups and settings respond to automated service delivery. Her studies on robotic bartenders are especially distinctive — exploring customer tipping behaviors toward robotic employees, senior patrons' experiences with automated bartending, and the regulatory frameworks shaping robot deployment in hospitality environments. This body of work reflects a commitment to understanding not just technological capability, but the human, social, and policy dimensions surrounding its adoption. Cain's research is particularly valuable for students and practitioners grappling with workforce automation, service design, and consumer acceptance in an increasingly technology-driven hospitality sector, making her an essential scholar to engage with in this rapidly evolving field.