In our time, robots are increasingly invading our daily lives. Some of the most prominent examples are Honda's Asimo, UBTECH's Walker, Boston Dynamics' Atlas, and NASA's Valkyrie. All are made of shiny white material. Some look a lot like white celebrities, such as Audrey Hepburn and Scarlett Johansson.
A new study says that the reason why the color white is chosen in construction and the depiction of white peopleis due to racism.
“Robots And Racism” is a study conducted by the Human Interface Technology Laboratory in New Zealand. The research shows that people see robots that look like humans as belonging to a certain race. This means that there are racial stereotypes even in them.
Skin color often influences how people react and behave towards other people. This seems to be true with robots as well.
"The bias against black robots is a result of prejudice against African-Americans," explained lead researcher Christoph Bartneck. "It's surprising how people, who have had no previous interaction with robots, show racial prejudice towards them.".
The researchers believe this is a very important and concerning issue that needs to be addressed. He went on to say that robots can act as teachers, friends, caregivers, and more. It is not right for all of these positions to be taken over by robots that portray white people.
The robots used in this study had human-like limbs and heads. Some had white skin, and others were colored. In a shooter bias test, black and white humans and robots were shown on a screen for less than a second. Participants were asked to “shoot” those holding guns. The researchers observed that participants also shot robots that were not holding guns. However, they mostly shot the ones that were black, not white.
If you do a Google search, you'll see white robots everywhere. Researchers believe that the prevalence of white robots may be detrimental to the perception of other races.
Even though robot designers come from all over the world, there is an idealization of white robots.
"Robots, which represent humans, should show the diversity of humans," said the lead researcher.
“Imagine a world in which all Barbie dolls are white, imagine a world in which all robots working in Africa or India are white, and imagine those robots taking on roles that involve power. This is worrisome because it reinforces the perception that white people are superior. Robots are not just machines, they represent people.”
The research team also conducted a second study. In this one, they used robots that were colored but not black (they were lighter in color). In other words, they created a racially diverse. The researchers observed that the participants’ racial bias disappeared completely. “This could mean that diversity can lead to a reduction in racial bias against them,” the researcher said. This is likely true for prejudice against humans as well.
