While we can’t deny that robots have certainly helped a lot in making things more convenient and efficient for humans, where exactly do we draw the line?
A study done by Cornell University, in partnership with the University of Jerusalem, has revealed that humans don’t always react positively to robots, at least not when they’re on the losing side.
The study tried to see what it would be like if humans and robots were pitted against each other in a kind of competition or match. The results revealed that humans, understandably, hate losing to robots. What stood out the most though is that humans who lost to robots felt a greater degree of discouragement, more so than if they lost to another human.
Also, the research results revealed that robots who won against humans are actually less well-liked than one who lost. In addition to this, humans who lost would feel less motivated every time they lost against a robot, even if the prize money was greater than before.
Guy Hoffman, one of the researchers who has a Ph.D. in the field of human-robot interaction, says that this study gives us a peek into the future of robot-human work environments. “While it may be tempting to design such robots for optimal productivity, engineers and managers need to take into the consideration how the robots’ performance may affect the human workers’ effort and attitudes towards the robot and even towards themselves.”
