With the development and maturation of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, AI service contexts have become a new scenario in the service industry. This study explores the impact of three types of customer behaviors on front-line employee service silence in the context of AI service contact compatibility in China’s service industry. It also examines the mediating role of employee emotional reactions and the moderating effect of employee AI perception. The study empirically tests these relationships using data from 657 samples in China’s hotel service industry. The results show that customer participation and positive feedback behaviors have a significant negative impact on employee service silence, with employee emotional experiences mediating the relationship between customer behaviors and service silence.