Can a robot force us to do boring work?Efficiency of performing tedious work under the supervision of a human and a humanoid robot.

Abstract

In the context of interactions between humans and robots at work, this research examines the dynamics of obedience and power. We replicated and extended the previous studies by comparing the responses of participants to a humanoid robot, which acts as an authoritative figure, against those to a human in a similar role. While the humanoid robot commanded a significant level of obedience (63%), it was notably lower than that for its human counterpart (75%). Moreover, work under the robot's supervision was performed more slowly and less effectively. The results give a good insight into the practical implications of using humanoid robots in official roles, especially for repeated and tedious tasks or challenging work activities.