People Will Feel Sorry For Robots That Make Pitiful Noises, Researcher Finds

A researcher is set to unveil research that finds humans can feel pity for robots if they exhibit distress signals, like sad sounds or trembling motions.

Marieke Wieringa conducted a series of experiments at Radboud University that studied how people respond to violence against robots.

The results showed that people were more hesitant to mistreat robots that seemed to "feel" pain, a concept that logically cannot occur since they are inanimate objects, the university reports.

For example, when given the option, participants were more likely to perform a "boring" task rather than shake a robot that emitted pitiful noises.

"Most people had no problem shaking a silent robot, but as soon as the robot began to make pitiful sounds, they chose to do the boring task instead," she said.

If the movie Ex Machina has taught society anything, the ability of an inanimate object to pantomime human emotions for manipulation can lead to disastrous results.

"If a robot can pretend to experience emotional distress, people feel guiltier when they mistreat the robot," Wieringa said.

The study also raised ethical concerns. Wieringa argued that companies could exploit human empathy to increase profits by making emotionally expressive robots. She points to the popularity of cult favorite, Tamagotchis, virtual pets created in the late 1990s, as a precursor to this trend.

While Wieringa advocates for regulation of robotics to prevent misuse, she said there's a risk of robots manipulating people who are susceptible to "fake" emotions.

"We like to think we are very logical, rational beings, but at the end of the day, we are also led by our emotions," she said.

Wieringa said emotional, smarter robots could be beneficial in therapeutic settings, a sentiment that's already being reflected in Tesla's Optimus, a humanoid robot that CEO Elon Musk believes will push the company's valuation to $25 trillion by 2040.

Experts predicted that robotics will eliminate millions of jobs in the coming years, specifically cab drivers, if Tesla has its way with the Cybercab, a robotaxi.

Scientists have already called on industry experts to establish safeguards to prevent robots from influencing children's thinking and opinions.

In 2021, it was reported that robots filling vacant jobs amid the ongoing Great Resignation were at an all-time high.