Abstract
This paper analyses the critical intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Service Design, exploring how AI integration fundamentally reshapes business operations and customer interactions. Through a qualitative study of real-world use cases, this research provides a comprehensive overview of current applications, categorizing them into mechanical, thinking, and feeling AI to frame the discussion. The analysis illuminates’ opportunities and challenges presented by this technological convergence. It addresses key paradoxes, such as augmentation versus automation, and investigates the ethical, legal, and societal implications of human-AI collaboration. This work bridges research gaps by providing a richer conceptualization of AI's impact, offering a framework for strategically enhancing value co-creation and customer experiences.
Keywords
Service Design, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Human-AI Collaboration, Value Co-creation, Customer Experience, Automation-Augmentation Paradox, Ethical AI
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/servdes2025.142
Citation
Warudkar, H.(2025) Service Design in the Age of AI – An Analysis of Real-World Use Cases, in Mahamuni, R., Onkar, P. (eds.), ServDes 2025: Empowering Diversity, Nurturing Lasting Impact, 6–10 October, Hyderabad, India. https://doi.org/10.21606/servdes2025.142
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Service Design in the Age of AI – An Analysis of Real-World Use Cases
This paper analyses the critical intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Service Design, exploring how AI integration fundamentally reshapes business operations and customer interactions. Through a qualitative study of real-world use cases, this research provides a comprehensive overview of current applications, categorizing them into mechanical, thinking, and feeling AI to frame the discussion. The analysis illuminates’ opportunities and challenges presented by this technological convergence. It addresses key paradoxes, such as augmentation versus automation, and investigates the ethical, legal, and societal implications of human-AI collaboration. This work bridges research gaps by providing a richer conceptualization of AI's impact, offering a framework for strategically enhancing value co-creation and customer experiences.