Cultural Differences in People's Reactions and Applications of Robots, Algorithms, and Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

Although research in cultural psychology has established that virtually all human behaviors and cognitions are in some ways shaped by culture, culture has been surprisingly absent from the emerging literature on the psychology of technology. In this perspective article, we first review recent findings on machine aversion versus appreciation. We then offer a cross-cultural perspective in understanding how people might react differently to machines. We propose three frameworks – historical, religious, and exposure – to explain how Asians might be more accepting of machines than their Western counterparts. We end the article by discussing three exciting human–machine applications found primarily in Asia and provide future research directions.

The Relationship between Religiosity Level and Emotional Responses to Artificial Intelligence in University Students

“…These results suggest that religiosity is associated with more complex and intense emotions towards AI technology. Our findings support the results of a study concerning cultural and religious differences in the perception of AI (Yam et al 2023) and a study (Abadi et al 2023) indicating the importance of religious and ethical values in the perception of AI. Also, the studies by Uttam (2023), Shibuya andSikka (2023), andAl-Kassimi (2023), which underscore the effect of religion and culture on AI-related emotional responses, are in line with the findings of our study.…”

“…Authors also underscore the importance of taking these cultural and religious differences into account in designing and implementing new technologies (Jecker and Nakazawa 2022). For example, in cultures shaped by the dominant monotheistic religions (including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam), people may perceive the human being as unique and distinct from machines, which leads to greater caution or skepticism about technologies imitating or replacing human actions (Yam et al 2023).…”

Cultural Variation in Attitudes Towards Social Chatbots

“…While conversational AI (or chatbots for short) can be used to answer search queries and increase productivity (Fauzi et al, 2023;Surameery & Shakor, 2023), a growing number of people are using chatbots specifically designed to provide emotional connection for their users (Blakely, 2023;Clarke, 2023;Metz, 2020). These social chatbots, as well as other forms of social robots, are particularly popular in East Asia (Technavio, 2023;Yam et al, 2023;Zhou et al, 2020). Indeed, social chatbots are a $420 million market in China (Chen & Li, 2021), and social robots in Japan are already caring for the elderly (Lufkin, 2020) and providing companionship as pets (Craft, 2022).…”

“…There are theoretical reasons to believe that East Asian culture may contribute to more positive attitudes towards social chatbots and AI, more generally. Yam et al (2023) argue that one key cultural difference between East Asian and the West is the differing content of the dominant historical religious and philosophical thought in the two cultures. Specifically, Eastern religions (i.e., Shintoism, Buddhism) have animistic roots and do not place a clear delineation between humans and nature (Yam et al, 2023).…”

“…Yam et al (2023) argue that one key cultural difference between East Asian and the West is the differing content of the dominant historical religious and philosophical thought in the two cultures. Specifically, Eastern religions (i.e., Shintoism, Buddhism) have animistic roots and do not place a clear delineation between humans and nature (Yam et al, 2023). For example, Shintoism, maintains that there are spiritual deities that inhabit all life forms and objects in the environment (Abe, 1997).…”