Yvette Pearson, Old Dominion University, US
Jason Borenstein, Georgia Institute of Technology, US
This paper examines ethical issues related to the use of robots as companions or caregivers for older adults. While so-called doom scenarios that depict myriad negative effects of increased robot presence and expanded human-robot interaction (HRI) raise engaging concerns, this paper seeks to diffuse some of those concerns and examine the potential impact of an increased robot presence and HRI on human-human interaction (HHI). Dystopian scenarios that focus almost exclusively on HRI neglect to acknowledge that humans will likely continue to interact, perhaps in novel ways, and fail to incorporate the possible beneficial effects of robot presence on HHI. The importance of supporting HHI must be kept in view when speculating about the future of HRI.
