Using AI-driven services to reduce food waste in restaurants: The role of social presence and technology agency level

This study investigates how AI-driven services can enhance consumers’ moral norms to reduce food waste in Chinese hot pot and barbecue buffets. A between-subjects 2 social presence in ordering system (high vs. low) x 2 technology agency level (high vs. low) factorial experimental design was used. Two experiments were performed via face-to-face questionnaire surveys with 181 and 363 respondents, respectively. The results indicate that high social presence (via AI-assisted ordering) enhances consumers’ moral norms and their intention to reduce food waste (IRFW). The high agency level (providing dish suggestions) moderates the effect of ordering system on moral norms and IRFW, and the perception of moral norms mediates the interactive effects of social presence and technology agency level on IRFW. This study contributes to the field of hospitality technology research by examining the role of AI-driven services in reducing food waste in restaurants.