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Despite the promise of a more sustainable and efficient economic model, the sharing economy has struggled to achieve widespread adoption. Reluctant to Share: How AI Can Rewire the Sharing Economy critically examines the psychological, social, and structural barriers that inhibit participation in collaborative consumption platforms—from trust deficits and behavioural resistance, to technological limitations. Drawing on interdisciplinary research, it offers a nuanced understanding of why consumers remain hesitant and how these challenges undermine the potential of peer-to-peer services, co-working spaces, and digital marketplaces.
In response, the authors explore how artificial intelligence can serve as a transformative force to rewire the sharing economy. It demonstrates how AI technologies—such as intelligent trust systems, personalised recommendations, predictive analytics, and emotionally aware interfaces—can address user concerns, enhance platform efficiency, and foster inclusivity. Bridging behavioural science and innovation management, this timely volume provides actionable insights for entrepreneurs, technologists, and policymakers seeking to unlock the full potential of collaborative consumption.
At a time when the future of the sharing economy depends not only on technological innovation but also on overcoming the persistent barriers that constrain participation, this book offers a timely and authoritative contribution to the evolving discourse on AI and the sharing economy. Through a comprehensive examination of the psychological, social, economic, and technological factors that continue to impede the widespread adoption of sharing-based models, the authors significantly advance the frontier of research in this area. Particularly compelling is their insightful exploration of AI as a catalyst for building more intelligent, inclusive, and trustworthy sharing ecosystems. Rather than merely identifying the obstacles to participation, this work shifts the conversation toward actionable pathways for reducing resistance, fostering trust, and promoting greater adoption, deeper engagement, and sustained participation across sharing-based systems. This is an important and forward-looking volume that will serve as an invaluable resource for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers seeking to understand and shape the future of AI-enabled sharing economies.
— Dr. Merlyn Griffiths, Associate Professor University of North Carolina – Greensboro, USA
Reluctant to Share: How AI Can Rewire the Sharing Economy is a timely and intellectually significant contribution to the growing discourse on artificial intelligence and platform-based collaborative consumption. The volume offers a well-structured and interdisciplinary examination of the psychological, social, cultural, economic, and technological barriers that continue to constrain participation in the sharing economy. Of particular value is its exploration of how AI-driven verification, personalization, recommendation systems, intelligent assistance, and behavioral interventions can strengthen trust, reduce transactional friction, and enhance user engagement. Importantly, the book also recognizes the ethical, governance, and policy challenges associated with the increasing integration of AI into digital platforms. This volume will serve as a valuable scholarly and practical reference for researchers, educators, students, practitioners, policymakers, and decision-makers interested in the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and the sharing economy.
— Dr. Muhammad Yaseen Bhutto Assistant Professor, North American University, USA
Reluctant to Share is a timely collection of chapters that explore how AI can bridge the gap between technological innovation and consumer adoption. The collection of chapters integrates platform economy and artificial intelligence to make it valuable for researchers, policy makers, and industry leaders. Its interdisciplinary approach coupled with ethical and responsible AI not only adds to the literature of digital transformation and collaborative culture but also provides an in-depth understanding of the evolving relationships between artificial intelligence and the sharing economy thereby providing readers with both questions and guidelines to explore AI-informed world.
— Urvashi Tandon, Professor & Dean, Doctoral Research Centre, Professor & Dean, Doctoral Research Centre, India
Reluctant to Share offers a timely and intellectually rich examination of one of the most pressing questions in contemporary platform research. Rather than presenting artificial intelligence as a universal solution, the book carefully explores how trust, governance, transparency, fairness, and institutional design shape the future of the sharing economy. By bringing together diverse theoretical perspectives, rigorous empirical research, and practical insights, the volume demonstrates that meaningful participation depends not only on technological innovation but also on accountable and inclusive governance. The contributors successfully bridge disciplines including consumer behavior, information systems, sociology, sustainability, and platform studies, creating a coherent and comprehensive understanding of the opportunities and limitations of AI enabled collaborative consumption. The book provides readers with original conceptual frameworks, evidence based analyses, and forward looking discussions that will stimulate future research and inform policy and practice. Its balanced treatment of technological potential and institutional responsibility makes it an essential resource for academics, doctoral researchers, policymakers, and platform practitioners seeking to understand the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and the sharing economy. This book stands as a valuable contribution to the growing discourse on artificial intelligence, platform governance, and the future of the sharing economy.”
— Professor Yogesh K. Dwivedi, Riyad Bank Chair Professor of Digital Business, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia
Myriam Ertz is a Professor of marketing at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi, Canada.
Muhammed Sajid is an Assistant Professor at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, India
Pia A. Albinsson is the Endowed Beroth Professor of Marketing at Appalachian State University, USA.
Part I. The Structure of Reluctance
Chapter 1. The Promise and the Pause of the Sharing Economy; David Shakarishvili
Chapter 2. Psychological Barriers in the Shared Economy: Trust Deficit, Ownership Attachment, and Habitual Patterns in AI-Mediated Systems; Tara McBride
Chapter 3. From Industry 4.0 to Collaborative Resource Economies: How AI-Enabled Platforms Can Advance the SDGs. Integrating Industry 4.0 Technologies and AI to Overcome Barriers to Sustainable Sharing Economy Models; N. Liarte-Vejrup
Chapter 4. User Acceptance of Artificial Intelligence in Shared Mobility: Evidence from China’s Robotaxi Market; Jixin Zhang, Shouheng Sun, and Dafei Yang
Chapter 5. Platform-Specific Barriers: Design Flaws, Data Concerns, and Fragmentation; Iu Tusell, Joan Torrent-Sellens, and Eduard J. Álvarez-Palau
Part II. Artificial Intelligence as an Active Layer
Chapter 6. Algorithmic Trust as Media: A Theoretical Framework for AI-Enabled Verification and Reputation in the Sharing Economy; Supratim Mukherjee and Archan Mitra
Chapter 7. Personalization and Prediction: Using AI to Match, Recommend, and Reduce Friction in the Sport Sharing Economy; Jairo León-Quismondo, Miguel Montaño-Freire, Iyán Iván-Baragaño, and Álvaro Bustamante-Sánchez
Chapter 8. Social Proof and Authenticity: AI Influencers as Trust Mediators in the Sharing Economy; Marta Massi and Terry Beckman
Chapter 9. Agentic AI for Dispute Resolution: An Automated Workflow for Image-Based Property Disputes in Peer-to-Peer Accommodation; Mehrdad Kordi and Stéfanie Vallée
Chapter 10. Green Intelligence: AI and the Evolution of Sustainable Consumption in the Sharing Economy; Sonali Srivastava and Manisha Singh