The robots that share our public areas right now are so demure. Social robots and service robots goal to keep away from offense, erring towards well mannered airs, constructive feelings, and obedience. In some methods, this is sensible—would you actually wish to have a yelling match with a delivery robot in a lodge? In all probability not, even in case you’re in New York City and making an attempt to soak up the native tradition.
In different methods, this passive social robot design aligns with paternalistic requirements that hyperlink help to subservience. Thoughtlessly following such outdated social norms in robotic design could also be ill-advised, because it can help to reinforce outdated or harmful ideas equivalent to limiting individuals’s rights and reflecting solely the wants of majority-identity customers.
In my robotics lab at Oregon State University, we work with a playful spirit and revel in difficult the problematic norms which can be entrenched inside “well mannered” interactions and social roles. So we determined to experiment with robots that use foul language round people. In any case, many individuals are utilizing foul language greater than ever in 2025. Why not let robots have an opportunity, too?
Why and Methods to Research Cursing Robots
Societal requirements within the United States counsel that cursing robots would probably rub individuals the fallacious method in most contexts, as swearing has a predominantly detrimental connotation. Though some previous analysis reveals that cursing can enhance team cohesion and elicit humor, sure members of society (equivalent to ladies) are sometimes anticipated to avoid risking offense by profanity. We questioned whether or not cursing robots can be considered negatively, or if they could maybe supply advantages in sure conditions.
We determined to check cursing robots within the context of responding to errors. Previous work in human-robot interplay has already proven that responding to error (fairly than ignoring it) may also help robots be perceived extra positively in human-populated areas, particularly within the case of private and repair robots. And one study discovered that in comparison with different fake pas, foul language is extra forgivable in a robotic.
With this previous work in thoughts, we generated movies with three frequent sorts of robotic failure: bumping right into a desk, dropping an object, and failing to know an object. We crossed these conditions with three sorts of responses from the robotic: no verbal response, a non-expletive verbal declaration, and an expletive verbal declaration. We then requested individuals to price the robots on issues like competence, discomfort, and likability, utilizing customary scales in an internet survey.
What If Robots Cursed? These Movies Helped Us Study How Individuals Really feel about Profane RobotsVideo: Naomi Fitter
What Individuals Considered Our Cursing Robots
On the entire, we had been stunned by how acceptable swearing appeared to the research contributors, particularly inside an preliminary group of Oregon State College college students, however even among the many normal public as effectively. Cursing had no detrimental impression, and even some constructive impacts, among the many school college students after we eliminated one religiously connotated curse (god***it), which appeared to be obtained in a stronger detrimental method than different cuss phrases.
Actually, college contributors rated swearing robots because the most socially close and most humorous, and rated non-expletive and expletive robotic reactions equal on social heat, competence, discomfort, anthropomorphism, and likability scales. Most people judged non-profane and profane robots as equal on most scales, though expletive reactions had been deemed most discomforting and non-expletive responses appeared most likable. We imagine that the college college students had been barely extra accepting of cursing robots due to the campus’s progressive tradition, the place cursing is taken into account a peccadillo.
Since experiments run solely in an internet setting don’t all the time symbolize real-life interactions effectively, we additionally carried out a last replication research in particular person with a robotic that made errors whereas distributing goodie luggage to campus neighborhood members at Oregon State, which strengthened our prior outcomes.
People React to a Cursing Robotic within the WildVideo: Naomi Fitter
We have submitted this work, which represents a well-designed series of empirical experiments with interesting results and replications along the way, to several different journals and conferences. Despite consistently enthusiastic reviewer comments, no editors have yet accepted our work for publication—it seems to be the type of paper that editors are nervous to touch. Currently, the work is under review for a fourth time, for possible inclusion in the 2025 IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN), in a paper titled “Oh F**k! How Do People Feel About Robots That Leverage Profanity?”
Give Cursing Robots a Likelihood
Based mostly on our outcomes, we predict cursing robots deserve an opportunity! Our findings present that swearing robots would usually have little draw back and a few upside, particularly in open-minded areas equivalent to college campuses. Even for most of the people, reactions to errors with profanity yielded a lot much less distaste than we anticipated. Our knowledge confirmed that folks cared extra about whether or not robots acknowledged their error in any respect than whether or not or not they swore.
Individuals do have some reservations about cursing robots, particularly on the subject of consolation and likability, so thoughtfulness could also be required to use curse phrases on the proper time. For instance, simply as people do, robots ought to probably maintain again their swear phrases round kids and be extra cautious in settings that usually demand cleaner language. Robotic practitioners may additionally think about surveying particular person customers about profanity acceptance as they arrange new know-how in private settings—fairly than letting robotic techniques study the laborious method, maybe alienating customers within the course of.
As extra robots enter our day-to-day areas, they’re sure to make errors. How they react to those errors is essential. Basically, our work reveals that folks desire robots that discover when a mistake has occurred and react to this error in a relatable method. And evidently a variety of types within the response itself, from the profane to the mundane, can work effectively. So we invite designers to present cursing robots an opportunity!
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