ABSTRACT
Recent decades have seen impressive progress in the development of autonomous technology, such as robots, drones, self-driving cars, and personal assistants. These intelligent agents are able to engage with their surrounding environment in increasingly sophisticated ways. However, as this technology becomes pervasive in society, its success hinges on effective and efficient collaboration with humans. To accomplish this, agents need to understand not only the functional aspects of the task but also the broader social context. Here, we first review relevant psychological theory explaining why and when humans treat agents in a social manner and are socially influenced by them. Second, we summarize experimental evidence showing the importance of verbal (e.g., natural language conversation) and nonverbal (e.g., emotion expressions) communication for successful collaboration between humans and agents. Third, we review recent work showing how perceptions of social group membership with agents influence cooperation. Fourth, we cover research on key individual differences – e.g., anthropomorphic tendency – shaping social interaction with agents. Finally, we identify open challenges and opportunities in this emerging field.
