Exploring Romantic Preferences in Human-Robot Interaction
Discipline: Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences
Session: 1
Room: 2 - Inman
Kenzie Nguyen - University of California, Merced
Co-Author(s): Colin Holbrook, PhD (UC Merced, Merced, CA) Katherine Herrera (UC Merced, Merced, CA) Kahilan Skiba (UC Merced, Merced, CA)
Robots and artificial intelligence (AI) are tools, creating an inherent power dynamic between the user and the machine. For this reason, users have been hypothesized to prefer virtual assistants that utilize a subservient personality.
Engineered Arts and similar companies have developed highly anthropomorphic robots such as Ameca, which are capable of complex movements, gestures, and facial expressions. The advent of large-language model AIs have also allowed for more fluid human-robot interaction (HRI) in casual conversation, advice, and romance.
The present study explores preferences for dominant or submissive personalities in the decision to pursue romantic HRI. Participants provide demographic information and romantic tastes, and then are randomly assigned to a dominant or submissive personality. Participants view a mock dating-profile and introduction video of the robot. Robot gender presentations are matched according to participant preference. After viewing the profile and video, participants give their impressions of and feelings for the robot.
In the study, there was no main effect of personality type on emotional or physical attraction, as participants preferred robot personalities mirroring their romantic preferences in humans. There were no interactions between robot gender and persona on either emotional or physical attraction. Emotional attraction, physical attraction, and ratings of anthropomorphism were moderated by belief that the robot was capable of intimacy. Participants were notably open to possible emotional and physical romantic interaction.
Implications for these findings suggest that romantic personality preferences for humans are congruent in romantic preferences for robot partners. While attraction is not strong, it is also not weak, suggesting that humans are open to romantically engaging with the robots when they believe the robot can be intimate. Romantic HRI therefore may benefit from prioritizing immersion, matching user preferences and creating the impression that the robot is capable of intimacy. Subservience is also likely less important in romantic HRI than in digital assistants.
Faculty Advisor: Colin Holbrook, PhD, cholbrook@ucmerced.edu
Role: In this project, I was responsible for the literature review, writing the research pre-registration, designing the robotic personalities, research design, designing the survery, and filming the video stimuli for the experiment, all done with the guidance of my mentor, Dr. Colin Holbrook.