WSJ: What Makes People Abuse Robots?

November 4, 2020

If a person starts abusing a robot, will other people intervene if the robot’s friends show sadness?

That was the objective of a new study by researchers at the Interactive Machines Group at Yale University.

As robots become increasingly present in public and work spaces, in roles such as security guards and baristas, harm from humans is surprisingly common. Robot researchers say photos of people punching, kicking, even beheading these machines are popular online.

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