Boundary-Crossing Robots: Societal Impact of Interactions with Socially Capable Autonomous Agents

Abstract

The paper introduces the notion of a Boundary-Crossing Robot which refers to the use of AI research and novel technology in symbiotic interaction with human users, especially in the meaning creation processes that make the world sensible and interpretable in the course of everyday activities. Co-evolution of collaboration is considered from the point of view of social robots with dual characteristics as agents and elaborated computers, and the focus is on the robot’s interaction capability. The paper emphasizes important questions related to trust in social encounters with boundary-crossing agents.