Most People Prefer Friendly Robots; The Japanese and French Prefer Them More Formal

As in life, cultural preference matters in robotics. JL

Rani Molla reports in Re/Code:

62%, said they want bots to be friendly, 21% would prefer a formal bot and 9% said they’d like their bot to be humorous. But that preference varies by country and culture. Americans — 78% — preferred friendly robots. Friendly robots also won in Australia, the U.K. and Germany. In France, an equal 37% preferred friendly or formal bot. In Japan, 51% wanted a formal robot.

As robots increasingly replace human jobs, thanks to record spending on automation, how should they behave? That preference depends on where you live.

LivePerson, a company that works in automated customer service, recently surveyed 5,000 people on what personality types they prefer in a customer service bot.

The majority, 62 percent, said they want bots to be friendly, 21 percent would prefer a formal bot and 9 percent said they’d like their bot to be humorous. Only 4 percent said they prefer a curt robot.

But that preference varies by country and culture.

The vast majority of Americans surveyed — 78 percent — preferred friendly robots, with just 13 percent preferring a formal robot personality. Friendly robot types also won handily in Australia, the U.K. and Germany.

But in France, an equal percentage of survey respondents — 37 percent — preferred friendly and formal bots. (France was also where the largest percentage of respondents — 8 percent — preferred a “hip” robot personality.)

And in Japan, where robots have long been part of popular culture — and are increasingly being discussed for elder care purposes — respondents had a different take. The most — 51 percent — wanted a formal robot, while just 20 percent preferred a friendly robot.