The Social Uncanniness of Robotic Companions

Abstract

Social robots offer a promise of relatedness without the limitations of human ability and availability. However, the idea of robotic companionship can also cause unease, a phenomenon I coin the Social Uncanniness of robotic companions. This sense of unease could be attributed to the fact that social robots touch on deeply rooted psychological concerns, including our need to be unique individuals that cannot easily be replaced or replicated; our ambivalent relationship with natural decay, including our own; and a fear that by relating to robots we may lose our ability to relate appropriately to other humans.