Ethical and Psychological Impact of Anthropomorphism on Trust in AI
Systems
Dr. P. Subha Assistant Professor, Faculty of Management, SRM Institute of Science and
Technology, Ramapuram, Chennai - 89
(Corresponding Author email ID: [email protected]).
Firdous Ahamed N, Fedora Merlin S, Sri Hari Sudarsan
PG Scholar, Faculty of Management, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Ramapuram,
Chennai - 89
This paper explores ethical and psychological consequences of Human Robot Interaction(HRI),
with a special interest in the repercussions of anthropomorphism in regards to the AI among
people. As more and more robots take roles that were previously believed to be in the sole
purview of man, the line between the two is further blurred. This convergence raises critical
social issues regarding how these machines are perceived and the broader societal impacts they
engender.
This paper aims at discovering the continuation of process of anthropomorphism wherein
humans take emotions, intentions, conscious or subliminal into robots and vice versa and the
subsequent relationships that ensue between human psychologies and technologies. One of the
key difficulties is anthropomorphism as this natural human impulse affects its reception and
trust in AI and robots. This is illustrated by incidents such as the recent event whereby in Gumi
City, South Korea a robot was reported to have committed suicide through overworking. Even
though it could have been a technical glitch, the people saw it as an action born out of affection
to show how much the concept of anthropomorphism plays a role to the people. While these
scripts might be unrealistic for today’s AI systems, they are still applied to foster trust in such
technologies among the public.
Furthermore, the paper evaluates the influence of anthropomorphism on reliability and safety
of AI and potential risks; for instance, the reduction of trust when robots behave in
unforeseeable manner will create considerable fear and unrealistic expectations. Moreover, the
paper highlights some of the ethical issues that come with the process of deploying AI tech to
automate human-bound positions and incorporating robots into various social tasks without
appropriate regard for their repercussions on human psychology. Given that robots are
becoming a regular part of industries such as healthcare, education and customer service, such
integrations pose crucial questions about interpersonal relationships, emotions and social
norms.
Ultimately, this research aspires to contribute to the shaping of a future where human-robot
interactions are beneficial to society, fostering an environment where AI is trusted and valued
as a complement to human capabilities. By promoting a more informed and balanced approach
to the development and deployment of AI, this study not only seeks to help bring about a new
form of robotics integration into society, but it seeks to do so as a way to enrich the spirit of
everyone rather than to make them poor. The knowledge derived from this study is meant to be
useful for lawmakers, technologists who create AI, and philosophers as they find their way
within the rapidly changing sphere of human-robot interactions.
