Mark Camilleri, University of Malta

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and Agentic Artificial Intelligence (Agentic AI) are transforming how services are designed, delivered, experienced and led. While GenAI refers to systems, such as large language models (LLMs), that produce content in response to human prompts; Agentic AI technologies may be considered as active agents that can implement tasks (rather than merely functioning as passive generators). The latter can monitor situations, allocate resources, initiate and manage processes as well as co-ordinate multiple activities. Hence, Agentic AI algorithms and their governance affect service outcomes.

Generative AI capabilities often constitute the communicative and cognitive foundations of Agentic AI. In other words, many Agentic AI systems rely on GenAI models to reason, communicate and interact. Together, these AI technologies challenge conventional assumptions about agency, control, responsibility and value creation in service environments. Unlike earlier forms of automation and analytics, these AI systems can engage in social interactions, reason in a contextual manner and may dynamically adapt to changing situations. As such, they raise profound theoretical questions about anthropomorphism, social presence, trust, autonomy, creativity, emotion, accountability, responsibility and moral agency.

These capabilities indicate that Generative and Agentic AI represent more than incremental advances in automated technologies. They introduce different forms of interaction and agency that cannot be fully explained by utility-driven adoption frameworks. Consequently, there is a growing need for theory-driven and conceptually rigorous research that explains how, why and under what conditions Generative and Agentic AI are deployed, adapted, governed, or even resisted in service environments.

This special issue seeks to advance services marketing research by encouraging scholars to utilize, extend, integrate or critically evaluate existing theories to investigate user engagement with Generative and Agentic AI across diverse service settings. The guest editorial team particularly welcomes submissions that move beyond descriptive accounts. Prospective contributions are expected to offer strong theoretical explanations of AI acceptance and usage in services.

Submissions that integrate multiple perspectives, compare existing conceptual frameworks and develop new theoretical models specific to GenAI and Agentic AI in services are especially encouraged for this special issue. The special issue welcomes conceptual, qualitative, quantitative, experimental or mixed-methods approaches, provided that the contributing authors demonstrate strong theoretical grounding and relevance to the underlying objectives of this journal.

Potential topics

• Theoretical perspectives on Generative and Agentic AI adoption in service environments
• Comparative or multi-theoretical frameworks for studying human-AI interaction in services
• Anthropomorphism, social presence and human-AI relationships
• Perceived affordances, interface design and service experiences
• Emotions, expectations and psychological responses to AI
• Adoption, acceptance and continued use of AI in services
• Trust, ethics, accountability and relational governance
• AI as a service actor within socio-technical systems
• Contextual and contingency-based perspectives
• Value co-creation, value co-destruction and service outcomes
• Organizational, strategic and policy implications of Generative and Agentic AI in services

Timeline

• June 23, 2026: Opening date for manuscripts submissions
• February 26, 2027: Closing date for manuscripts submission