Service in the AI Era

Are you prepared for the coming AI era?

AI advances will profoundly change your daily service interactions, so this book provides readers with a necessary understanding of service, the application of resources (e.g., knowledge) for the benefit of another. In just minutes, you can learn about today’s use of early-stage AI for automation and augmentation, and essential elements of service science, service-dominant (S-D) logic, and Service Dominant Architecture (SDA).

Ultimately improved service for all is possible with human-level AI and digital twins – but requires investing wisely in better models: Better models of the world both complex natural and social systems (science), better mental-models in people to improve interactions (logic), better cultural and structural models of organizations to improve change (architecture), and better trusted and responsible AI models. The service innovation community studies and builds better models to improve interactions and change in business and society.

The book challenges all responsible actors – individuals, businesses, universities, and governments – to invest systematically and wisely to upskill with AI (the X+AI vision). The service innovation community is a growing transdiscipline harnessing all disciplines to become better T-shaped professionals. Extensive end notes, bibliography, and index are provided.

Jim Spohrer co-founded IBM’s service science initiative and the International Society of Service Innovation Professionals.

Paul P. Maglio is a Professor of Management and Cognitive Science at the University of California, Merced. He co-founded service science at IBM, was Editor-in-Chief of INFORMS Service Science (2013-2018) and is lead editor of the Handbook of Service Science, Volumes I and II.

Stephen L. Vargo is a Shidler Distinguished Professor and Professor of Marketing at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa and is editor-in-chief of AMS Review. He is the co-creator of service-dominant (S-D) logic.

Markus Warg is a Professor for Leadership, Service Design and Risk Management at University of Applied Sciences Wedel/Hamburg. In 2015 he published the Service Dominant Architecture (SDA).