An Empirical Design Justice Approach to Identifying Ethical Considerations in the Intersection of Large Language Models and Social Robotics
This research paper presents an empirical design justice study to identify ethical considerations at the intersection of large language models (LLMs) and social robotics. The author conducted a lab-based co-design and interaction study with nine participants to examine how the physical embodiment of social robots can perpetuate or escalate ethical issues found in LLMs. The findings map ethical considerations across four conceptual dimensions: interaction, co-design, terms of service, and relationship. Ultimately, the study evaluates the design justice methodology as an approach to incorporate diverse communities and address structural power dynamics in emerging AI technologies.
Summary and content fields are drawn from the document text and are pending editorial review.
Who issued it
Who it governs
Researchers, developers, and designers working on artificial intelligence, social robotics, and human-robot interaction ethics.
What the document contains
The document covers the integration of large language models into social robotics, analyzing ethical considerations through a qualitative co-design and interaction study with nine participants. It addresses four main conceptual dimensions: interaction, co-design, terms of service, and relationship.
It does not provide a definitive, legally binding regulatory framework, nor does it establish commercial deployment standards or universal industry rules for robot manufacturers.
- Combining large language models with physically embodied social robots creates complex ethical challenges across interaction, co-design, terms of service, and relationship dimensions.
- The physical embodiment of social robots can exacerbate ethical hazards inherent in LLMs, such as hallucinations, misinformation, and emotional disruption.
- An empirical design justice methodology allows diverse participants to shape more than just superficial traits, addressing structural power dynamics in technology design.
- Participants identified significant concerns regarding data usage, privacy, consent, and the potential for emotional dependence or mental health harms.
- Issues regarding asymmetrical language capabilities and the preservation of indigenous or non-English languages in digital tools require deliberate mitigation.
· 1 Introduction · 2 Theoretical Background · 3 Methodology · 4 Findings · 5 Discussion · 6 Conclusions and Recommendations
How it scores
Each score is backed by a quote verified against the document text. Editorial review has not yet confirmed them.
Human Oversight
2/5Humans remain in control of consequential decisions
How much control should people have over the robot and how much autonomy should it have?
3.4 Data Collection
screening score · 2026-10-23
Enforcement
0/5Consequences and compliance mechanisms with real force
n/a
screening score · 2026-10-23
Impact Assessment
2/5Required assessment of an AI system's risks/impacts before or during use
This research is set out to identify ethical considerations that arise in the design and development of these two technologies in combination.
Abstract
screening score · 2026-10-23