Harnessing frontline managers’ values for ethical AI and enhanced customer trust in tourism industry
Mohsin Ali Soomro, Ali Khan · Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology · 2025
Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of frontline managers’ (FLM) religious values and interpersonal values alignment on the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) and its effect on customers’ dispositional trust within the tourism industry. Additionally, it assesses the need for cognition (NFC) as a moderator influencing the direct and indirect relationships between religious values, value alignment, AI ethics and customers’ dispositional trust. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected from 373 tourism firms. The model was evaluated using AMOS 23 and SPSS 24 to confirm the hypothesized relationships. Findings The results confirm that religious values and value alignment significantly promote the ethical use of AI, which in turn enhances customers’ dispositional trust. NFC was found to moderate these relationships; such that high levels of NFC strengthened the relationship between values and AI ethics, and between values and dispositional trust, while low levels of NFC rendered these relationships weaker and insignificant. Originality/value This study provides new insights into the moderating role of NFC and the importance of value alignment in promoting ethical AI use and building customer trust in the tourism industry.