Cursing Robots: Difficult Norms With Humor

The robots that share our public areas at present are so demure. Social robots and service robots intention to keep away from offense, erring towards well mannered airs, constructive feelings, and obedience. In some methods, this is sensible—would you actually need to have a yelling match with a supply robotic in a lodge? Most likely not, even should you’re in New York Metropolis and making an attempt to soak up the native tradition.

In different methods, this passive social robotic design aligns with paternalistic requirements that hyperlink help to subservience. Thoughtlessly following such outdated social norms in robotic design could also be ill-advised, because it may also help to bolster outdated or dangerous concepts similar to limiting folks’s rights and reflecting solely the wants of majority-identity customers.

In my robotics lab at Oregon State College, we work with a playful spirit and revel in difficult the problematic norms which can be entrenched inside “well mannered” interactions and social roles. So we determined to experiment with robots that use foul language round people. In any case, many individuals are utilizing foul language greater than ever in 2025. Why not let robots have an opportunity, too?

Why and Easy methods to Examine Cursing Robots

Societal requirements within the United States counsel that cursing robots would seemingly rub folks the incorrect method in most contexts, as swearing has a predominantly unfavorable connotation. Though some previous analysis reveals that cursing can improve staff cohesion and elicit humor, sure members of society (similar to ladies) are sometimes anticipated to keep away from risking offense by means of profanity. We puzzled whether or not cursing robots could be considered negatively, or if they may maybe supply advantages in sure conditions.

We determined to review cursing robots within the context of responding to errors. Previous work in human-robot interplay has already proven that responding to error (relatively than ignoring it) may also help robots be perceived extra positively in human-populated areas, particularly within the case of private and repair robots. And one research discovered that in comparison with different fake pas, foul language is extra forgivable in a robotic.

With this previous work in thoughts, we generated movies with three widespread varieties of robotic failure: bumping right into a desk, dropping an object, and failing to know an object. We crossed these conditions with three varieties of responses from the robotic: no verbal response, a non-expletive verbal declaration, and an expletive verbal declaration. We then requested folks to fee the robots on issues like competence, discomfort, and likability, utilizing customary scales in a web-based survey.

What Individuals Considered Our Cursing Robots

On the entire, we had been stunned by how acceptable swearing appeared to the research contributors, particularly inside an preliminary group of Oregon State College college students, however even among the many normal public as effectively. Cursing had no unfavorable impression, and even some constructive impacts, among the many school college students after we eliminated one religiously connotated curse (god***it), which appeared to be obtained in a stronger unfavorable method than different cuss phrases.

In reality, college contributors rated swearing robots because the most socially shut and most humorous, and rated non-expletive and expletive robotic reactions equal on social heat, competence, discomfort, anthropomorphism, and likability scales. Most people judged non-profane and profane robots as equal on most scales, though expletive reactions had been deemed most discomforting and non-expletive responses appeared most likable. We imagine that the college college students had been barely extra accepting of cursing robots due to the campus’s progressive tradition, the place cursing is taken into account a peccadillo.

Since experiments run solely in a web-based setting don’t at all times signify real-life interactions effectively, we additionally carried out a last replication research in individual with a robotic that made errors whereas distributing goodie baggage to campus neighborhood members at Oregon State, which bolstered our prior outcomes.

Now we have submitted this work, which represents a well-designed collection of empirical experiments with attention-grabbing outcomes and replications alongside the way in which, to a number of completely different journals and conferences. Regardless of constantly enthusiastic reviewer feedback, no editors have but accepted our work for publication—it appears to be the kind of paper that editors are nervous to the touch. At present, the work is below assessment for a fourth time, for doable inclusion within the 2025 IEEE Worldwide Convention on Robotic and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN), in a paper titled “Oh F**okay! How Do Individuals Really feel About Robots That Leverage Profanity?”

Give Cursing Robots a Probability

Primarily based on our outcomes, we expect cursing robots deserve an opportunity! Our findings present that swearing robots would sometimes have little draw back and a few upside, particularly in open-minded areas similar to college campuses. Even for most of the people, reactions to errors with profanity yielded a lot much less distaste than we anticipated. Our information confirmed that folks cared extra about whether or not robots acknowledged their error in any respect than whether or not or not they swore.

Individuals do have some reservations about cursing robots, particularly on the subject of consolation and likability, so thoughtfulness could also be required to use curse phrases on the proper time. For instance, simply as people do, robots ought to seemingly maintain again their swear phrases round kids and be extra cautious in settings that sometimes demand cleaner language. Robotic practitioners may also contemplate surveying particular person customers about profanity acceptance as they arrange new know-how in private settings—relatively than letting robotic techniques study the onerous method, maybe alienating customers within the course of.

As extra robots enter our day-to-day areas, they’re certain to make errors. How they react to those errors is vital. Essentially, our work reveals that folks choose robots that discover when a mistake has occurred and react to this error in a relatable method. And plainly a variety of kinds within the response itself, from the profane to the mundane, can work effectively. So we invite designers to provide cursing robots an opportunity!