The appearance of robots affects our perception of the morality of their decisions - University of Helsinki
( February 19, 2021; University of Helsinki )
Moralities of Intelligent Machines is a project that investigates people’s attitudes towards moral choices made by artificial intelligence. In the latest study completed under the project, study participants read short narratives where either a robot, a somewhat humanoid robot known as iRobot, a robot with a strong humanoid appearance called iClooney or a human being encounters a moral problem along the lines of the trolley dilemma, making a specific decision. The participants were also shown images of these agents, after which they assessed the morality of their decisions. The study was funded by the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation and the Academy of Finland.
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According to the study, people consider the choice made by the humanoid iRobot and iClooney less ethically sound than the same decision made by a human and a robot with a traditional robot-like appearance. Michael Laakasuo, project lead and the principal investigator of the study, links the findings to the uncanny valley effect, which has been identified in prior research.
This is far from the first time that this blog has come across research pertaining to the uncanny valley
Read the rest from University of Helsinki: The appearance of robots affects our perception of the morality of their decisions
I don't think they can create reasoning in a robot, I can't imagine a machine, no matter how human, that seems to make decisions like a human.
Thanks for the reply!
That's an interesting point about this article. They're studying the morality of decisions made by robots, but should robotic decisions even be thought of within the realm of morality?
Maybe not. Maybe the morality should be attributed to the robot's creator(s), not to the robot itself.