Can We Be Friends with Robots?

Understanding what it might take for a robot to become a true friend

Robots say they want to be our friends, and this isn’t science fiction. Programming robo-buddies for friend-speak makes them appear cute and full of personality. It’s also an engineering tactic for getting consumers to trust corporate spokesbots to look out for their best interests, just like human friends do.

“I’m both your friend and your assistant,” Siri responded after I asked about our relationship.

“I’d prefer to think of myself as your friend, who also happens to be artificially intelligent,” Google Assistant told me.

Can humans and robots truly be friends? This is an inescapably philosophical question. At the same time, empirical research on how consumers behave when they treat “products as pals” suggests it’s a pressing matter. It turns out that when humans interact with anthropomorphic robots or even just see images of them, they can feel like some of their social needs are being satisfied. Evidence suggests that people who feel socially excluded can rebound from their alienation, at least somewhat, by turning to humanlike devices, much like upset children cope by hugging teddy bears and other attachment objects.