Robots get a 'special accent' that uses mind tricks to make you 'trust them'

A bizarre experiment has shown that certain accents make people trust robots more.

According to the new research, a social bot that speaks with a local accent is more likely to make connections.

Social robots are being designed for many things, including caring for the elderly and teaching children.

Humanoids will only be successful in this role if the people they work with trust them.

That's where a new study in the journal Frontiers in Robotics and AI comes in.

“Surprisingly, people have mixed feelings about robots that speak in a dialect – some like it, while others prefer standard language.

“This got us thinking: maybe it is not just the robot, but also the people involved who shape these preferences,” says lead author Katharina Kühne from the University of Potsdam.

It is said that the robots seem more reliable and competent if they have a human-like voice.

“Imagine a robot that can switch to a dialect. Now think about what is more important in your interaction with a robot: feeling a connection (think of a friendly conversation in a retirement home) or perceiving it as competent (as in a service environment where standard language matters),” Kühne added.

The researchers tested their theory on 120 people living in Germany.

The participants lived in Berlin or Brandenburg.

In the study, participants watched videos of a male robot speaking with a standard German accent or a Berlin dialect.

The Berlin dialect is often considered working class and informal.

The participants then filled out a form about their impressions of the robot.

Kühne concluded: 'If you are good at speaking a dialect, you are more likely to trust a robot that talks the same way.

“It seems like people trust the robot more because they find a similarity.”

He adds: “This leaves us without clear evidence for or against the idea that people facing challenges might find more comfort in social robots that speak in a familiar dialect.

“But if a robot uses standard language and it is essential that people perceive it as competent in the interaction, it can be useful to minimize cognitive load.

“We plan to dive deeper by testing cognitive load during conversations.”

The team plans to conduct more research in real-world situations.