Episode 5: Imperfectly Human

Speaker: Shirley Bluvstein, Assistant Professor of Marketing at Baruch College

Description: Shirley Bluvstein discusses experimental research showing that a chatbot can appear more human and more helpful when it makes and corrects a small mistake. The episode connects perceived humanness to trust, manipulation, disclosure, tipping interfaces, defaults, and the broader power of seemingly minor design choices to shape consumer behavior.

About the speaker: Shirley Bluvstein is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Baruch College's Zicklin School of Business. Her research focuses on consumer behavior, choice architecture, behavioral pricing, and how people perceive and interact with artificial intelligence.

Show notes:

• Shirley Bluvstein et. el., Imperfectly Human: The HumanizingPotential of (Corrected) Errors in Text-Based Communication
• Shirley Bluvstein Netter and Priya Raghubir, Tip to ShowOff: Impression Management Motivations Increase Consumers’ Generosity
• Shirley Bluvstein Netter and Priya Raghubir, "PayingMoney to Avoid Social Costs: The Surprising Impact of the Zero Tip Option"
• Nizan Packin, Consumer Finance and AI: The Death of the Second Opinion