2026
AI with a Conscience: Empathic Voice Assistants for Sustainable Shopping Decisions
Mari, A., & Alabed, A.
International Conference on Sustainability and Innovation Processes and Systems, Springer Nature Switzerland, pp. 92–103
AI Empathy and Sustainable Consumption
Can an empathic voice close the gap between good intentions and real behavior?
We investigate whether empathic AI voice agents can help consumers turn sustainable intentions into sustainable choices. Our research examines emotional support, ethical nudging, value alignment, and the boundary between beneficial persuasion and manipulation.
Most consumers want to consume sustainably. Far fewer actually do. We investigate whether empathic AI agents acting as ethical digital advisors, regulating emotions, offering moral nudges, and aligning conversations with users' values, can turn sustainable intentions into sustainable choices.
And because persuasion in the name of good is still persuasion, we study with equal rigor where the ethical boundaries of such influence lie.