The Ontological Classification of Conversational Agents: An Adaptation of Piaget’s Equilibration Theory

Abstract

This paper focuses on the attributed nature of the voice-based agents Alexa and Google Assistant in conversational contexts. Using Piaget’s equilibration theory, enhanced by Hubbard’s concept of personhood the paper considers how people categorize voice-based agents along a thing–person spectrum and whether this categorization reflects assimilation or accommodation of these technologies. The results of two studies (a hypothetical conversation with the agent via an online-survey, N = 1288, and a real conversation with the agent, N = 105) are indicating a modified classification towards personified things, which is reinforced by younger age and a higher quality of interaction. Implications, limitations, and further research regarding a more detailed classification of conversational agents are discussed.