Social Robots That Curse: Why and How to Study Them

The robots that share our public areas right this moment 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 smart—would you actually wish to have a yelling match with a supply robotic in a lodge? Probably not, even for those who’re in New York City and attempting 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 Thoughtlessly following such outdated social norms in robotic design could also be ill-advised, because it will help to strengthen outdated or dangerous concepts reminiscent of proscribing folks’s rights and reflecting solely the wants of majority-identity customers.

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

Why and How to Study Cursing Robots

Societal requirements within the United States recommend that cursing robots would seemingly rub folks the mistaken method in most contexts, as swearing has a predominantly adverse connotation. Although some previous analysis exhibits that cursing can improve crew cohesion and elicit humor, sure members of society (reminiscent of ladies) are sometimes anticipated to keep away from risking offense via profanity. We questioned whether or not cursing robots could be considered negatively, or if they could maybe provide advantages in sure conditions.

We determined to check cursing robots within the context of responding to errors. Past work in human-robot interplay has already proven that responding to error (fairly than ignoring it) will 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 sorts of robotic failure: bumping right into a desk, dropping an object, and failing to know an object. We crossed these conditions with three sorts 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 If Robots Cursed? These Videos Helped Us Learn How People Feel about Profane RobotsVideo: Naomi Fitter

What People Thought of Our Cursing Robots

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

In truth, 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. The normal public judged non-profane and profane robots as equal on most scales, though expletive reactions have been deemed most discomforting and non-expletive responses appeared most likable. We consider that the college college students have been barely extra accepting of cursing robots due to the campus’s progressive tradition, the place cursing is taken into account a peccadillo.

Related: What’s the Deal With Robot Comedy?

Since experiments run solely in a web based setting don’t at all times characterize real-life interactions nicely, we additionally performed a last replication research in individual with a robotic that made errors whereas distributing goodie luggage to campus group members at Oregon State, which strengthened our prior outcomes.

Humans React to a Cursing Robot within the WildVideo: Naomi Fitter

We have submitted this work, which represents a well-designed collection of empirical experiments with fascinating outcomes and replications alongside the way in which, to a number of completely different journals and conferences. Despite 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. Currently, the work is beneath evaluate for a fourth time, for attainable inclusion within the 2025 IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN), in a paper titled “Oh F**k! How Do People Feel About Robots That Leverage Profanity?”

Give Cursing Robots a Chance

Based on our outcomes, we predict 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 reminiscent of 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.

People do have some reservations about cursing robots, particularly relating to 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. Robot practitioners may additionally contemplate surveying particular person customers about profanity acceptance as they arrange new know-how in private settings—fairly than letting robotic programs be taught the laborious method, maybe alienating customers within the course of.

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