Robots and Trust: Humanoids and Machines Side by Side
November 3, 2022
“Tracking Trust in Human-Robot Work Interactions” presents some allegedly accurate information. Let’s take a look at a couple of statements which I found interesting:
ITEM 1:
“We found that as humans get tired, they let their guards down and become more trusting of automation than they should. However, why that is the case becomes an important question to address.”
The statement has a number of implications. My hunch is that tired people don’t think when they are fatigued. A failure to think can have unusual consequences. Fatigued professionals hitting the incorrect button or just falling asleep and allowing a smart self driving automobile display its limitations.
ITEM 2:
[The] lab captured functional brain activity as operators collaborated with robots on a manufacturing task. They found faulty robot actions decreased the operator’s trust in the robots.
That smart self driving auto did drive through the day care center playground. It seems obvious that some humanoids would lose their trust in government-approved technology. The injured children are likely to evidence some care when offered a chance to ride in a smart self driving automobile as well.
ITEM 3:
The next step is to expand the research into a different work context, such as emergency response, and understand how trust in multi-human robot teams impact teamwork and task work in safety-critical environments.
When a robot is working with a flesh and blood humanoid, the operative idea may be, “Will this gizmo hurt or kill me?”
Perhaps a Terminator style robot can offer researchers, engineers, MBAs, and penny pinching bean counters some assurances when the electronic voice says, “I am a robot. I am here to help you.”
Stephen E Arnold, November 2022
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