Trash Talk Robots Are So Good They May One Day Manipulate Human Decision Making

Dhir Acharya - Nov 21, 2019

Trash talk has long been assumed to only happen between humans, but robots can now do that too. And there are both upsides and downsides to that.

For years, trash talk has been an effective tool in gaming, sports, as well as other competitive areas. However, trash talk has been assumed to only work between humans, who have the ability to deliver remarks with emotional weight. But based on what researchers from Carnegie Mellon University have discovered, that doesn’t seem true, as they have programmed a docile robot that can trash talk a human.

The robot we’re talking about was a Pepper automaton from Softbank, which is among the few robots deployed widely that deal with humans directly by directing people around airports or answering questions in the museum, etc. This may be the least intimidating bot you have ever met and its trash talk is not the kind that will cause fights, with phrases like “I have to say you are a terrible player.”

trashtalk-robot-1 — Pepper robot can trash talk with humans

However, when they put Pepper against 40 participants of the study that knew trash talk and learned that a pre-programmed bot was competing, they found that participants subject to Pepper’s insults and taunts didn’t score or improve after playing against the bt 35 times.

Moreover, the study found that it doesn’t take a sophisticated robot like Pepper. Even a non-humanoid device like a computer can have this capability, and that’s concerning.

The study reveals the potential influence robots can have on humanity one day, but even digital assistants we’re using now can affect human’s decision making as well as mental health. The good thing here is that machines can one day become truly useful in improving people’s mental health based on how they respond to questions or comments. And robots can eventually benefit by giving effective encouragement to those that don’t want to be just by themselves.

trashtalk-robot-2 — It can direct people at the airport, which is good, but there are downsides to this capability

The downside, on the other hand, is that if an automated AI or personal assistant is working against human interests, this research’s conclusions could be abused. For example, a shop can use interactive bots programmed to make customers buy pricier items by making them feel insecure over getting cheaper items or making them feel inferior.

Eventually, the accuracy of feedback and comprehension of a robot is not as important as how it responds to humans.