Pop culture is brimming with brave and selfless robots like WALL-E, R2D2, and the Iron Giant who assist humans and evoke emotions within us. However, do real-world robots that react to crises and venture into perilous circumstances have the potential to inspire us to become better individuals?
While we’re well known to be inspired by other humans, might the same be the case for robots? That was the question posed by researchers at Stanford, who examined whether helpful robots may encourage us to also be more helpful.
Uninspirational
Unfortunately, this didn’t appear to be the case, and indeed, the helpful robots could sometimes dissuade people from being helpful themselves as it encourages us to heap the full burden on the shoulders of the robot rather than taking responsibility ourselves.
The scientists gauged the willingness of the subjects to participate in a charitable clothing campaign by presenting them with videos of either humans or robots cleaning up a mudslide. Those who viewed the robotic footage exhibited a lower inclination to contribute.
Subsequently, the investigators delved into the reasons behind this contrast in human response. The subjects were requested to peruse accounts adapted from news articles that depicted individuals and robots sanitizing hospitals amid the COVID outbreak.
Certain narratives spotlighted the humans while others emphasized the robots. Subsequently, the participants were queried about their eagerness to contribute or lend a hand to three charitable initiatives. Once more, those who were exposed to the robot-focused stories demonstrated a considerable reluctance to donate.
Humanizing robots
A separate study further examined the reasons behind the “backfire effect” of rescue robots on prosocial behavior. The subjects believed that robots were less courageous and independent, taking fewer risks compared to humans. Additionally, participants believed that there was a reduced need for human contribution (be it financial or otherwise) after reading about robot-assisted rescues.
Given these findings, the authors advise government agencies and engineers to create a “humanizing” effect on robots, for example, by simulating autonomy. People who willingly put themselves in harm’s way are perceived as brave because they had several options but chose to sacrifice themselves. On the other hand, robots that only follow orders don’t elicit the same reaction since they had no choice.
One more reason robots don’t inspire us is that we send them to dangerous situations, a vulnerability unique to humans. The very fact that humans can get hurt or killed makes us respect and feel inspired by their bravery. When robots are designed to be more human-like, and vulnerable to risks, they become more courageous and inspiring.
Moreover, study participants found hybrid teams composed of humans and robots to be inspiring, so long as both were portrayed as equal partners that made decisions autonomously together.
“It’s thinking about how we reframe technology,” the authors conclude. “Businesses already have manufacturing production teams that are half-machine, half-human; this trend is rapidly growing in other stages of the business cycle, such as sales, as well as other aspects of our economy and society.”
