Responsible Automation: Exploring Potentials and Losses through Automation in Human–Computer Interaction from a Psychological Perspective

Abstract

Robots and smart technologies are becoming part of everyday life and private households. While this automation of mundane tasks typically creates pragmatic benefits (e.g., efficiency, accuracy, time savings), it may also come with psychological losses, such as in meaning, competence, or responsibility. Depending on the domain (e.g., AI-assisted surgery, automated decision making), especially the user’s felt responsibility could have far-reaching consequences. The present research systematically explores such effects, building a more structured base for responsible automation in human–computer interaction (HCI). Based on a framework of seven dimensions, study 1 (N = 122) evaluates users’ reflections on automating five mundane tasks (e.g., gardening, paperwork) and identifies reasons for or against automation in different domains (e.g., creativity, care work, decision making). Study 2 (N = 57) provides deeper insights into effects of automation on responsibility perceptions. Based on the example of a vacuum cleaner robot, an experimental laboratory study contrasted a non-robotic manual vacuum cleaner to a robot, whereby the user’s perceptions of device agency (higher for the robot) and own competence (higher for the manual device) were central mediators for the perceived responsibility for the result. We position our findings as part of a broader idea of responsible design and automation from a user-centered design perspective.