Kids, AI, and Ethics: How Children Perceive and Treat Alexa and Roomba
How Children Perceive and Treat AI. Alexa and Roomba
Recently Duke scientists decided to look into the subject of how kids feel about AI, emotions that it evokes in them, and how kids treat smart technologies like Alexa and Roomba. It turned out that kids ages four to eleven viewed Alexa as having more human thoughts than Roomba. The author of the research Teresa Flanagan took the idea from the HBO’s “Westworld”, in which there were human-robot interactions.
About 127 children participated in the research. They watched a clip of each innovation for 20 seconds and then answered questions regarding each technology.
Flanagan said that in Westworld one may see how people interact with robots in cruel and horrible ways. Same goes for the Ex Machina movie. But what about kids’ reactions and modus operandi?
Typically, children of all ages thought it was wrong to attack and yell at the machines, however as they matured, their way of thinking was changing towards slightly expanding communication borders and attacking would be something they would do.
Flanagan explains it as if very young kids have no freedom for moral violation, like attacking, but aging becomes a game changer.
The study made it clear that children all in all thought that Alexa and Roomba had no human-like physical sensations. Kids also thought Alexa was more likely to have mental and emotional capabilities like grief or thinking ability, unlike Roomba.
Flanagan observes that young kids think of Alexa as having emotions and mind, unlike Roomba. Clearly it means that Alexa communicated with kids in some special way. The study also raises the questions, why is it wrong for kids to attack technology (moral issue or property issue) ? Should parents thank AI for its help for kids to model?
AI Catalog's chief editor
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