“For one thing, a robot is inanimate, yet gives the impression of being a living organism. That can soon feel very creepy.” – Robot Sophia during the 2018 Munich Security Conference.
Photo: Robot Sophia (CC BY 3.0 DE / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/de/deed.en)
Thinking Space Technology
“Robots must not be allowed to replace humans”
Communications and media psychologist Professor Dr Markus Appel teaches at the University of Würzburg. As part as one of his research projects he investigated, among other things, how people’s level of acceptance of humanoid robots could be improved, because the latter will be playing an increasingly important role in many areas of our lives. In this interview, Markus Appel explains why robots should tick like humans, but shouldn’t be allowed to look like us.
“For one thing, a robot is inanimate, yet gives the impression of being a living organism. That can soon feel very creepy.” – Robot Sophia during the 2018 Munich Security Conference.
Photo: Robot Sophia (CC BY 3.0 DE / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/de/deed.en)
Today, assistance and service robots are already being used in a few German care homes. How well have they been accepted?
Markus Appel: We looked at changes over the past few years and noticed a slight decline in people’s approval levels. Their attitude towards robots is tending at the moment towards becoming slightly more negative.
What could the reason for this be?
Appel: More than anything, it’s attitudes in the area of work that have become more negative. We think this is partly due to the discussion about the displacement of humans by robots in the workplace. The great fear is that robots might take over entire jobs or activities in the future.
Are these fears justified in your eyes?
Appel: It depends on the activity. For instance, if you look at office jobs such as in PR or journalism, an artificial intelligence or a robot could take over certain tasks. This could become possible by means of automatic text creation and with the aid of existing information. Jobs in the science sector could be affected too. But this won’t be happening through robots that look like humans and lumber through the offices on two legs. This is not how it’s going to be. A difference between human and machine will continue to be discernible.
How do you assess the situation in the care sector? Which tasks can robots take over in this area?
Appel: In hospitals, for example, the nursing staff is responsible for moving and transporting patients. In the future, automatic systems could take this over. Or the distribution of food could be organised by means of intelligent trolleys. This would give the nurses more time to spend in direct contact with their patients.
How accepted are robots or artificial intelligence when you compare things internationally?
Appel: This is a difficult question to answer. Cultural differences make a great difference in this regard. We looked, in particular, at the approval levels for robots and AI across Europe. Germany is in the middle of the field here. In countries where the population’s average age is relatively high, service robots are rather well accepted. This may be due to the fact that people have already got the theme of geriatric care staff in mind and perceive the necessity of robots.
If robots are too similar to us humans, it irritates us. What’s the reason for this?
Appel: We tend to perceive humanoid robots as hybrid beings. For one thing, a robot is inanimate, yet gives the impression of being a living organism. That can soon feel very creepy.
What does this imply for the appearance of robots or machines?
Appel: Developers now tend to use more abstract forms. If robots look too much like humans, they’re more likely to cause fear. This can be avoided by developing cartoon-like or animal-like types. Among other features, these robots have big eyes like cartoon characters.
How can our fear of medical robots be removed?
Appel: By letting people interact with robots, for example, or by showing them pictures of robot types. This kind of spontaneous confrontation can lead to interesting results and reduce our fear of the sinister and, above all, unknown machine. Explaining the robots’ functionality and importance can help answer questions and reduce anxiety. To date, most people know robots only from science fiction films.
Do you think that in the future medical robots will be a more common sight in German care homes? In what direction are things developing?
Appel: Yes, I think we’ll be seeing more robots, but there are certainly limits and it’s important for us as a society to demand that these limits are adhered to. Elderly people shouldn’t just be entertained by machines; it’s more about using robots to create the optimal environment for the patients. If robots can relieve carers of some of their workload, and the carers’ work is improved with the help of technology, then this is certainly a good way forward and in the interests of all concerned. This could also reduce health issues commonly experienced by care staff, for instance back pain. However, these new technologies must not make care cheaper and replace human jobs.