Brand attachment, artificial intelligence severity of AI service failure and forgiveness willingness in hotel contactless services: the roles of perceived betrayal and robot cuteness

Purpose This study aims to explore the impact of the severity of artificial intelligence (AI) service failure on consumer forgiveness willingness in the context of contactless hotel services. In addition, it examines the mediating role of perceived betrayal and the moderating effects of brand attachment and the cuteness of hotel robots on these relationships. Design/methodology/approach A 2 (severity of AI service failure: high vs low) × 2 (robot cuteness: high vs low) between-subjects experiment was conducted on the Credamo platform. A total of 840 participants completed the questionnaire, and after data screening, 735 valid responses were used for analysis. Findings This study finds that the severity of AI service failure significantly increases consumers’ perceived betrayal and decreases forgiveness willingness. Perceived betrayal mediates the relationship between AI service failure severity and forgiveness willingness. In addition, brand attachment moderates the effect of AI service failure severity on perceived betrayal. The moderating effect of hotel robot cuteness is not significant. Originality/value This study extends service failure research to AI-powered contactless contexts, clarifying the mediating role of perceived betrayal and the moderating role of brand attachment. It fills a theoretical gap and offers actionable insights for managing consumer forgiveness after AI service breakdowns.