{"id":11654,"date":"2021-08-01T14:00:31","date_gmt":"2021-08-01T21:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/?p=11654"},"modified":"2026-02-19T17:47:40","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T01:47:40","slug":"oscar-chi-spotlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/2021\/08\/01\/oscar-chi-spotlight\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctoral Graduate to Teach First-of-its-Kind Class on Artificial Intelligence in Hospitality Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Oscar
\u201cI hope my research and the courses I teach on this topic will help people understand the role of AI in hospitality,\u201d says Oscar Chi.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Oscar (Hengxuan) Chi<\/a>, a newly minted assistant professor in tourism, hospitality, and event management at the University of Florida, has his sights set on advancing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the hospitality industry, sharing his research knowledge to educate a new generation of hospitality students, and perhaps clearing up misconceptions about the role AI and social robots will play in the industry\u2019s future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hospitality industry has traditionally been perceived as a field requiring high levels of human interaction, but that\u2019s not entirely accurate, according to Chi (\u201921 PhD).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThrough my research, I found that not all customers prefer face-to-face interactions,\u201d he says. \u201cCustomers who value privacy or prefer to receive more consistent and prompter service are more likely to choose to interact with AI service devices.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This might be a celebrity, politician, or some other recognizable dignitary who is trying to stay under the radar\u2014or general travelers who need a fast flight check-in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there is a \u201cdark side\u201d of the technology, according to Chi. In order to improve the performance of AI devices, a large amount of data is collected on customer behaviors and habits, \u201csome of which might be objectionable to the members of customers\u2019 social group such as spouses, bosses, or friends,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Past data breaches or infringements on personal privacy may lower overall customer trust in AI devices, and companies must be mindful of this, he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his doctoral studies at the Carson College of Business, Chi has been the lead author or co-author on journal articles on topics such as consumer acceptance of artificially intelligent devices<\/a>, tourists\u2019 attitudes toward AI<\/a>, and consumer trust in interacting with social robots<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chi\u2019s impressive record helped him land a tenure track position at the University of Florida, which has a nationally known tourism program. He\u2019ll be teaching a first-of-its-kind class on AI in the tourism and hospitality industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis class will look at AI in the hospitality industry and help students understand how the technology can be integrated in services and consumer perceptions on AI,\u201d says Chi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An accomplished researcher at WSU<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Chi was one of the most accomplished graduate student researchers in recent memory at the Carson College, authoring and co-authoring an impressive 15 research papers\u2014an achievement which earned him the college\u2019s 2021 Outstanding Doctoral Student Research<\/a> award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOscar\u2019s research record is truly outstanding. His productivity is more typical of what you would see from an experienced professor,\u201d says Debbie Compeau<\/a>, senior associate dean for faculty and research in the Carson College.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although AI emerged as his specialty, Chi also worked with Professors Dogan Gursoy<\/a> and Christina Chi<\/a> on notable research on customer sentiments toward dining, traveling, and staying at hotels during the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>; consumer acceptance of autonomous vehicles in travel and tourism; the performance of hotels that provide wellness amenities; measuring the nostalgia evoked by heritage tourism; and other projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From his undergraduate degree to his doctorate, Chi spent his entire academic career with the Carson College. Reflecting on his ten years at WSU, Chi holds fond memories and a deep appreciation for the faculty and staff who helped support and guide him through his education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chi traveled from his home in China to Pullman, sight unseen, for college based solely on the reputation of the WSU hospitality program and its faculty. \u201cWhen I first got here, I was very homesick but I had professors and advisors who reached out and helped me through. Pullman has become a second home,\u201d says Chi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had professors, especially Dr. Gursoy and Dr. Chi, who shared their insights on the industry and career paths, which helped guide and inspire my career choice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The future of AI in hospitality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For some consumers, advancements in AI may raise concerns about technology eventually replacing human labor. But tourists of the future are unlikely to interact only with service robots, Chi says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAI\u2019s highest and best use is to empower or enhance the consumer experience,\u201d he says. \u201cIf customers think human interaction is needed in an area, AI will never replace those interactions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, consumers will interact with AI and live customer service representatives in ways that appear seamless. People have always been skeptical of emerging technologies for fear it would make human labor obsolete, notes Chi. \u201cLook at the introduction of the personal computer or even further back, the steam engine,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s common for people to express hesitancy toward new technologies,\u201d he says. \u201cI hope my research and the courses I teach on this topic will help people understand the role of AI in hospitality and how to incorporate the technology into operations at all levels.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oscar Chi (\u201921 HBM), a newly minted assistant professor in tourism, hospitality, and event management at the University of Florida, has his sights set on advancing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the hospitality industry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":[630],"featured_media":18152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wsuwp_accessibility_report":null},"categories":[604,425,550],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11654"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/630"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11654"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11654\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18839,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11654\/revisions\/18839"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11654"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/author?post=11654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}