Moral spillover from creators to autonomous technological agents.

Abstract

Autonomous technological agents, such as algorithms and robots, are increasingly entering the workforce and society. We draw upon theories of machines and moralization to examine people's assumptions about the degree to which creators' moral convictions "spill over" to the autonomous technological agents they design, as well as the consequences stemming from these attributions. A field experiment in a Taoist temple indicated that creator moral (vs. nonmoral) conviction led to greater assumed belief spillover to a robot that recited scripture, which mediated both mind perception in that robot and subsequent support for the organization (Study 1). Two additional experiments replicated these findings in contexts of creators developing algorithms for advertising (Study 2) and drones for deforestation-focused mapping, additionally finding that this effect emerges only given fully autonomous (vs. human-controlled) machines (Study 3). Finally, we demonstrate a potential downside associated with moral spillover from creators to autonomous technological agents: When creators justify particularly controversial practices using moral conviction, assumed belief spillover is associated with less positivity toward a creating organization (Study 4). We conclude by discussing theoretical and practical implications related to how creators' moral convictions appear particularly likely to spill over and imbue "mind" in machines that otherwise might appear "mindless," as well as how spillover attributions can garner more support for-or resistance toward-automation efforts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).