Ambient Intelligence and Persuasive Technology: The Blurring Boundaries Between Human and Technology

The currently developing fields of Ambient Intelligence and Persuasive Technology bring about a convergence of information technology and cognitive science. Smart environments that are able to respond intelligently to what we do and that even aim to influence our behaviour challenge the basic frameworks we commonly use for understanding the relations and role divisions between human beings and technological artifacts. After discussing the promises and threats of these technologies, this article develops alternative conceptions of agency, freedom, and responsibility that make it possible to better understand and assess the social roles of Ambient Intelligence and Persuasive Technology. The central claim of the article is that these new technologies urge us to blur the boundaries between humans and technologies also at the level of our conceptual and moral frameworks

Using robots to modify the demanding or impolite behavior of older people

As part of a large scale qualitative study (conducted in France, the UK and the Netherlands) of potential users’ views on the ethical values that should govern the design and programming of social robots for older people, we elicited responses to a scenario where a robot is programmed to modify an older person’s rude behavior. Participants’ responses ranged from outright disagreement with robotized efforts to change characteristic behavior, to approval as a means to an end. We discuss these views against the background of respect for autonomy, the differences and similarities between robot and human carers, and behavior modification in the context of rehabilitation, where the ‘no gain without pain’ principle is commonly used to justify what would otherwise seem callous. We conclude that such programming may be acceptable in the context of the rehabilitation and promotion of the independence of older people