Ethical implications of emotional and psychologic ties on human-robot interaction (HRI)-mediated learning

The progressive development of the human-robot interaction (HRI) and the inclusion of Robots in different aspects of the live generate positive impacts on learning. However, the ethical implications derived from social interactions and the construction of affective and psychological bonds have not been studied in depth yet. The development and advancement of new robotic technologies, of artificial intelligence and, in particular, of the production of humanoids oriented to functions of accompaniment, entertainment or education,1 suggests the emergence of a new type of human subjectivity. The interaction with these new technologies is unprecedented and their anthropological and ethical implications are little studied so far. While it is true that there are large and dizzying technical advances in this field,1–5 reflective processes about what these advances imply for the human condition require greater attention. It is not only a matter of proposing a naive dystopian or utopian vision, but of constructing a field of trans disciplinary studies and researchD6–8 involving mechanisms of epistemological surveillance, ethical criticism and political effects as a sphere of human action that favors complementarily between technological developments and applications in everyday life and medical and psychological effects (Figure 1).