🎙️ Enchanted Talks • Goren Gordon : Établir une relation avec un robot social

In this talk

1. 1:15

   First impressions and gaze

   Relationships begin with a first impression, shaped by people’s expectations and culture; novelty can fade after only a few interactions. Gordon argues that gaze is a basic signal of attention: even a camera-equipped puppet became more engaging when it tracked children, and studies found people rated a gaze-directed robotic arm more positively. But constant tracking can feel intrusive, so robots need to manage when they look and look away.

2. 9:40

   Entrainment and personalization

   Gordon describes entrainment as subtly matching a person’s pitch, expressions, head movements, or vocabulary. Small adjustments in these behaviors have been linked to greater liking, and one study found children preferred robots that mirrored their expressions. Personalization can also use a child’s name and interests in lessons; in a follow-up after a break of several months, children still preferred the robot that remembered prior interactions.

3. 31:58

   Trust, consistency, and character

   Small talk, shared topics, and consistent behavior can build rapport and trust. Gordon notes that people trusted the same Pepper robot more across two interactions than a different robot, and that even a brief backstory could make participants reluctant to destroy a small robot. He argues that a robot needs a stable character and story, while leaving room for users to choose among distinct personalities.

4. 38:54

   Errors, emotion, and ethical limits

   Reciprocal responses and a sense of privacy can encourage people to share personal information, which raises concerns about how robots should respond, especially with children. Some studies found that manageable mistakes or irrational responses could make robots more likable, depending on the task; people preferred irrational behavior for art appreciation but not a detective problem. Gordon also cautions that personalization and learning need boundaries, and that designers should consider how users interpret a robot’s apparent feelings.

5. 51:40

   A robot with a life of its own

   Gordon highlights breathing-like motion and humor as possible ways to make interactions feel more engaging, while noting that humor varies across cultures and can misfire. He argues that a robot should have experiences and stories of its own to contribute, rather than existing only when a user is present. He closes by pointing to robot-to-robot interaction as an underexplored area, since people may feel excluded when robots turn their attention to each other.