Heartificial intelligence
One in 4 of us might accept relationship with a robot
WHEN looking for love, many attributes can make you more appealing to a potential partner.
Up to now, being made of metal hasn’t been one of them.
But that could change – as a quarter of people haven’t ruled out the idea of having a relationship with a robot, a study has found.
Researchers from the University of Twente, in the Netherlands, surveyed 11,000 adults across 11 countries to delve into how people perceive robots.
They found that 27 per cent of people either supported the possibility of dating a robot or had not completely ruled it out.
The Netherlands was the most accepting country, with 30 per cent agreeing that a droid dalliance was acceptable. Sweden, South Korea, the US, South Africa and Germany all recorded support levels above 10 per cent.
But Greece, Poland, France, Spain and Brazil were less in favour of the concept.
Men were slightly more on board, with 16 per cent saying it would be acceptable compared with 9 per cent of women. The researchers used data from the EU-backed Sienna project that studies ethics and opinions around technology.
The results also revealed that people were mainly uncomfortable with robots that look and behave like humans, with one person saying: ‘Robots should be visually distinctive, so that we know we’re dealing with a robot.’
Project coordinator Philip Brey said: ‘ Many people believe that robots are not capable of providing true affection and intimacy, and moreover that it would be inappropriate to provide robots with artificial feelings and emotional intelligence as these are seen to be distinctly human characteristics.
‘Therefore, people tend to be uncomfortable with the idea of robots behaving as, and being treated as, sentient or being in a position of supporting humans in an emotional capacity.
‘Some people feel differently – maybe because they do not like the complexity of human emotions or like the feeling of control that they can have over a robot.’
He said further psychological research would be needed to explain why some people are open to relationships with robots.
The 2014 hit film Ex Machina explored the line between artificial intelligence and sexuality.
In the thriller, a convincing robot with womanly curves and human facial features is created and kept within a secure compound.
One of the characters develops feelings for the droid, Ava, who exploits his emotions and escapes into the outside world, leaving him locked in a room inside.