I = Robot: An Investigation of How Perspective Switching Can Support People’s Acceptance of AI-Powered Social Robots

Digital companions and social robots empowered to have social capabilities by artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly finding their way into our everyday lives. Even though these technologies benefit individuals seeking companionship and social interaction, adopting AI-powered social robots and companions remains a challenge. There is little known about effective approaches to overcoming barriers between humans and such systems that prevent their acceptance in the field. By applying the approach of perspective switching, we are examining whether taking the perspective of an AI-powered social robot can improve users’ perceptions of social robots and increase relevant antecedents of technology acceptance. Our study demonstrates that instruction-based perspective switching is a promising approach to influence the perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, and perceived sociability towards an AI-powered social robot and thus proves to be a useful means to support robot acceptance in society.