Cited by 14Social Robot Interaction and HRIEthics and Social Impacts of AICybernetics and Technology in Society

Machines with Faces: Robot Bodies and the Problem of Cruelty

Black, Daniel·2019·Body & Society

Abstract

Even if it is never possible to create a sentient robot that might lay claim to the status of personhood, a convincingly realistic robotic simulation of the human body could alter how human beings act towards one another. This article argues that the human face exerts a powerful influence over interpersonal interaction, creating empathetic connections that limit our capacity to engage in acts of cruelty; an ability to convincingly simulate the human face would detach it from the attribution of human personhood and so encourage a dismissal of its affective charge. This possibility can be understood in the context of existing attempts to inoculate individuals against the appeal of the face so as to facilitate organised killing.

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Crossref · 10.1177/1357034x19839122

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Authors
Black, D.
Affiliations
Monash University (AU)
Corresponding author
Black, Daniel
Venue
Body & Society
Published
2019-04-03
Volume
25
Issue
2
Pages
3-27
ISSN
  • 1357-034X (ISSN-L)
  • 1460-3632
OpenAlex
W2934483775
Cited by
14
References
44
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2019: 1
FWCI
1.89
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Body & Society (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Social Robot Interaction and HRI
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History and Philosophy of Science › Cybernetics and Technology in Society
Keywords
robot faces, cruelty, personhood, empathy, human face, interpersonal interaction, robot ethics

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