Barriers of Human and Nonhuman Agents’ Integration in Positive Hybrid Systems: The Relationship Between the Anthropocentrism, Artificial Intelligence Anxiety, and Attitudes Towards Humanoid Robots

Abstract

The article focuses on the analysis of subjective conditions for the integration of humans with humanoid robots. By interacting with each other, these units create hybrid systems that deserve to be called positive, as interactions with technological artifacts contribute to increasing the optimal functioning of users. An online survey-based study with 364 respondents was conducted that tested the relationship between anthropocentric beliefs of individuals, attitudes towards, and interactions with humanoid robots. It was found that this relationship is positive and is mediated by the aspects of fear of artificial intelligence (AI) related to the perception of AI-driven agents as scary and intimidating and by anxiety caused by the fear of their strong expansion (e.g., in the labor market). The significant strength of the relationship is an important clue for people designing hybrid systems (e.g., in the workplace), especially in conservative societies whose representatives are sensitive to the position humans in the hierarchy of entities.