Neither Amazon's virtual assistant Alexa nor iRobot's autonomous robot vacuum cleaner Roomba are likely to be ticklish or feel pain when pinched. This is the opinion of 4 to 11 year olds, who show that they are able to clearly distinguish them from people at an early age, even though the digital helpers are equipped with human-like intelligence. Researchers at Duke University gained these findings in a new study.

Thinking and feeling

The scientists asked children whether they believed that Alexa and Roomba had the ability to think and feel, because they belong to the category of artificial intelligence (AI). They were also asked to judge whether they should be accompanied in a particular way. Alexa offers voice interaction, music playback, streaming podcasts and real-time information. Roomba keeps the floor dust-free with a little AI.

The children attributed mental and emotional abilities to Alexa, but not to Roomba, which the researchers attributed to Alexa's language ability.

“Even though Alexa is disembodied, young children think she has emotions and reason.”

Teresa Flanagan from the Duke Department of Psychology and Neuroscience

127 children interviewed

Flanagan and her team showed 127 children a 20-minute video that showcased Alexa and Roomba's abilities. They then asked whether the AIs inside them knew the difference between good and evil and had feelings, and whether it was okay to yell at or hit technology when it didn't work. The children rejected the latter as wrong.

“The older ones, however, think that yelling and hitting is not a great thing, but that they have the freedom to do it. At a time when AI like ChatGPT is making headlines, the study's findings provide insight into the relationships children have with technology and whether ethics guide children in their use of smart technology."

Teresa Flanagan

Source:

Press release

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