Robopsychology is the study of the personalities and behavior of intelligent machines. The term was coined by Isaac Asimov in the short stories collected in I, Robot, which featured robopsychologist Dr. Susan Calvin, and whose plots largely revolved around the protagonist solving problems connected with intelligent robot behaviour. The term has been also used in some academic studies from the field of psychology and human–computer interactions, and it refers to the study of the psychological consequences of living in societies where the application of robotics is becoming increasingly common.
In real life
Andrea Kuszewski, a self-described robopsychologist gives the following examples of potential responsibilities for a robopsychologist in Discover.
- "Assisting in the design of cognitive architectures
- Developing appropriate lesson plans for teaching AI targeted skills
- Create guides to help the AI through the learning process
- Address any maladaptive machine behaviors
- Research the nature of ethics and how it can be taught and/or reinforced
- Create new and innovative therapy approaches for the domain of computer-based intelligences"
There is a robopsychology research division at Ars Electronica Futurelab.
The term "robopsychology" has been proposed to indicate a "sub-discipline in psychology to systematically study the psychological corollaries of living in societies where the application of robotic and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is becoming increasingly common."