Close Engagements with Artificial Companions: Key Social, Psychological, Ethical and Design Issues

33 Pages Posted: 1 Dec 2008 Last revised: 11 Jan 2009

See all articles by Malcolm Peltu

Malcolm Peltu

Oxford Internet Institute

Yorick Wilks

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Date Written: January 1, 2008

Abstract

This paper summarizes discussions at the multidisciplinary forum held at the University of Oxford on 26 October 2007 entitled Artificial Companions in Society: Perspectives on the Present and Future, as well as an open meeting the previous day addressed by Sherry Turkle. The event was organized by Yorick Wilks, Senior Research Fellow for the Oxford Internet Institute (OII), on behalf of the e-Horizons Institute and in association with the EU Integrated Project COMPANIONS.

COMPANIONS is studying conversational software-based artificial agents that will get to know their owners over a substantial period. These could be developed to advise, comfort and carry out a wide range of functions to support diverse personal and social needs, such as to be 'artificial companions' for the elderly, helping their owners to learn, or assisting to sustain their owners' fitness and health. The invited forum participants, including computer and social scientists, also discussed a range of related developments that use advanced artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction approaches. They examined key issues in building artificial companions, emphasizing their social, personal, emotional and ethical implications.

This paper summarizes the main issues raised. Position papers prepared for, and generally summarized at, the forum by participants formed a core resource for the event. Most direct quotes from participants in this paper come from the position papers. Appendix 1 contains examples of current artificial companions and related research projects mentioned at the forum.

Keywords: artificial agents, companions, artificial intelligence, human computer interaction, social, personal, emotion, ethics, implications, software

Suggested Citation

Peltu, Malcolm and Wilks, Yorick, Close Engagements with Artificial Companions: Key Social, Psychological, Ethical and Design Issues (January 1, 2008). OII Forum Discussion Paper No. 14, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1308500 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1308500

Malcolm Peltu

Oxford Internet Institute ( email )

1 St Giles
Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 3JS
United Kingdom

Yorick Wilks (Contact Author)

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

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