Agentic and Generative AI in Service-oriented IS Research: A Positioning Framework

Agentic and generative AI are reshaping service encounters and service operations: AI-drafted customer responses handle thousands of cases at scale, autonomous scheduling agents coordinate resource allocation without human initiation, and multi-agent systems execute end-to-end service workflows across tools and databases. These developments shift how value is co-created, which resources circulate, and who holds initiative. Drawing on service-dominant logic and IS delegation theory, this editorial develops two complementary positioning tools for service-oriented IS research on AI-enabled service phenomena. A lexicon specifies the key elements for articulating a service phenomenon: the focal service exchange, actor constellation, resource ensemble, delegation configuration, institutional arrangements, service architecture, and multi-beneficiary outcomes. A generativity-agency matrix classifies phenomena by AI-driven resource production and autonomous action, clarifying dominant mechanisms and method fit. Together, they support cumulative, theory-consistent contributions across heterogeneous AI-in-service contexts for research, practice, and responsible innovation. The editorial also provides an overview of the papers presented at the ICIS 2025 SIG SVC Workshop and included in these proceedings, illustrating the breadth of AI-enabled service phenomena under active scholarly investigation.