Do Privacy Concerns About Social Robots Affect Use Intentions? Evidence From an Experimental Vignette Study.

Christoph Lutz,Aurelia Tamò-Larrieux

doi:10.3389/frobt.2021.627958

Christoph Lutz, Aurelia Tamò-Larrieux

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2021.627958

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Abstract

While the privacy implications of social robots have been increasingly discussed and privacy-sensitive robotics is becoming a research field within human–robot interaction, little empirical research has investigated privacy concerns about robots and the effect they have on behavioral intentions. To address this gap, we present the results of an experimental vignette study that includes antecedents from the privacy, robotics, technology adoption, and trust literature. Using linear regression analysis, with the privacy-invasiveness of a fictional but realistic robot as the key manipulation, we show that privacy concerns affect use intention significantly and negatively. Compared with earlier work done through a survey, where we found a robot privacy paradox, the experimental vignette approach allows for a more realistic and tangible assessment of respondents' concerns and behavioral intentions, showing how potential robot users take into account privacy as consideration for future behavior. We contextualize our findings within broader debates on privacy and data protection with smart technologies.

Highlights

With the increasing interaction among humans and social robots (Fong et al, 2003; Gupta, 2015; Van den Berg, 2016), research on the benefits and concerns of close human–machine interaction has emerged
This study found evidence for a robot privacy paradox, where users revealed privacy concerns, but these concerns were not significantly correlated to robot use intentions, even after controlling for salient control variables such as expected benefits, social influence, scientific knowledge, and trust
There are several attitudinal constructs to predict behavioral intentions: trust, privacy concerns, perceived benefits of robots, and scientific interest

Summary

Introduction

With the increasing interaction among humans and social robots (Fong et al, 2003; Gupta, 2015; Van den Berg, 2016), research on the benefits and concerns of close human–machine interaction has emerged. A field of research that has gained traction in recent years describes the privacy implications of social robots (cf for an overview Lutz et al, 2019). This topic is pressing because social robots tend to exhibit greater mobility, social presence, and autonomy than static devices (Calo, 2012; Kaminski, 2015; Lutz and Tamò, 2015, 2018; Sedenberg et al, 2016; Kaminski et al, 2017; Rueben et al, 2017a, 2018; Fosch-Villaronga et al, 2020).

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