Prompt nudge: the neglected driving force behind GenAI utilisation for tourism service providers

Many GenAI tools have included recommended prompts on user interfaces to guide prompt input behaviours. To account for this emerging phenomenon, this study proposed a new concept called ‘prompt nudge’, inspired by nudge theory, aiming to understand how subtle information cues (e.g. recommended prompts) facilitate usage of GenAI and improve prompt building skills for tourism service providers. ‘Prompt nudge’ is conceptualised as information cues that alter users’ prompt input behaviours without restricting their interactive freedom. Adopting qualitative methods, data were collected through observation and interviews, and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Findings revealed that ‘prompt nudge’ varies in content features, such as relevance, expansiveness, and predictivity, and affect GenAI usage through cognitive stimulation or interference. The impact of ‘prompt nudge’ is conditioned by task factor, users’ current status, individual factors and ‘prompt nudge’ features. This study opens new avenues for understanding human-GenAI interactions in tourism at a micro level.