Korean Book Explores Humans’ Social Bonds With Robots, Not the Technology Behind Them
A new Korean-language book examines not the technology behind robots but the human psyche that surrounds them. Written by Eve Harold and translated by Kim Chang-gyu, Robots, and the People Who Love Robots, published by Hyunamsa, surveys how people respond to robotic companions and what that reveals about society.
Harold argues that the key to understanding robotics lies in human social behavior. Humans are inherently social beings who tend to anthropomorphize machines, bestowing personalities and even voice in conversations with robots. The book emphasizes that our relationships with machines reflect longstanding traits of social interaction, rather than merely the capabilities of the devices themselves.
A Georgia Tech study cited in the work looked at people who use household and care robots and found that more than half assigned gender to their robots, and about one-third gave their robots names. The findings illustrate how deeply people treat robots as social actors, not simply as tools.
The book points to real-world use cases where robots have entered care, education, and counseling settings. In Japan, for example, robots are increasingly present in nursing homes as friends and conversational partners for elderly residents, a scenario Harold uses to bolster her argument about the social dimensions of robotics. The author also forecasts potential benefits in autism education, where robots may support learning and communication.
At the same time, Harold warns of potential downsides. If people grow accustomed to highly responsive robots that listen well, they may withdraw from complex human relationships, risking greater isolation. The book notes that robot counselors, while useful in some contexts, may struggle to provide genuine empathy or handle the discomfort that often accompanies effective counseling.
The discussion matters beyond Korea because the United States is grappling with aging demographics, caregiver shortages, and rising interest in care and education robotics. Policymakers, educators, and industry players are weighing how to deploy robots in ways that augment human care without eroding meaningful human contact. The book’s lens on social expectation, ethical considerations, and cultural differences offers a framework for evaluating those decisions in the American context.
Taken together, the book invites readers to rethink how society designs and uses robots as social agents. It highlights both the promise of robots as supporters in care and education, and the need to address the human consequences of increasingly intimate human-robot interactions.