Responsible Social Robotics and the Dilemma of Control

Abstract Social robotic platforms are increasingly entering into human social practices, but to date the question of control and direction of innovation processes surrounding social robotics is still highly debated. In this paper I seek to make a two-fold contribution. Firstly, I critically discuss the “Collingridge Dilemma”, also known as the “dilemma of control” in Science and Technologies Studies, and contemporary efforts to address such a dilemma. I demonstrate how such efforts have neglected some wider implications of the dilemma, whose relevance is instead crucial for addressing ethical implications in social robotics. Secondly, to help improve the understanding of control in social robotics, I investigate two guiding principles that have been identified in responsible innovation literature, e.g., inclusion and responsiveness, and I identify potential methods and paradigms to put them into practice. The general aim of this paper is thus to bridge the gap between the theoretical assumptions of responsible innovation and its realisation in practice, as well as to explicitly integrate social robotics with an ethical dimension that can improve the inclusiveness, transdisciplinarity, and social sustainability of this emerging field.