Love and Suspicion: How Older Adults Relate to AI-enabled Robotic Pets - Sandbox

Title:

Love and Suspicion: How Older Adults Relate to AI-enabled Robotic Pets

Authors & Affiliation:

📌 Chorong Park – Purdue University
📌 Rua Williams – Purdue University

1. Executive Summary

AI-enabled robotic pets are becoming increasingly common in consumer markets, yet older adults express both affection and deep suspicion toward these technologies. This study explores how older adults interact with and perceive AI-powered robotic pets, such as Loona and EMO, identifying themes of joy, connection, and privacy concerns.

✅ Key Insight: Older adults form emotional connections with robotic pets, but simultaneously express concerns over surveillance, privacy, and AI’s broader societal impact.
✅ Industry Application: Developers of AI-powered companions and home robots must balance engagement-driven interactions with robust privacy protections and ethical considerations.

2. Research Methodology

🔹 Qualitative User Study

22 older adults (aged 65+) were observed interacting with four AI-powered devices:
- Loona & EMO (robotic pets)
- Amazon Alexa & Google Assistant (voice assistants)
Long-term trust-based research approach:
- 500+ hours of tech support for older adults over two years built rapport with participants.

🔹 Thematic Analysis

Three rounds of qualitative coding using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA).
Analysis of verbal and non-verbal expressions during interactions.

3. Key UX Barriers in AI-Robotic Pet Interactions

Older adults experienced five primary challenges in their interactions with AI-powered robotic pets and voice assistants. Currently under the review of DIS 2025.

4. Conclusion: The Future of AI-Robotic Companions for Older Adults

📌 Older adults experience a duality of joy and fear when engaging with AI-robotic pets.
📌 Trust and transparency are critical for adoption and long-term engagement.
📌 AI design must respect user agency, privacy, and accessibility needs to build ethical, human-centered robotics.
📌 The next generation of AI-companion technologies must prioritize user trust, personal control, and ethical AI development.

Personal Contribution: AI-Powered Robotics & UX Research Leadership

1. Research Design & Institutional Approval

✅ Designed the Study: Developed a qualitative research framework to explore older adults’ relationships with AI-powered robotic pets.
✅ IRB Submission & Approval: Successfully created, submitted, and obtained Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval to ensure ethical compliance in human-robot interaction research.

2. Research Execution & Data Collection

✅ Conducted & Led AI-Robotic Pet Research Sessions: Facilitated hands-on interaction studies where older adults engaged with AI-powered robots (Loona, EMO, Alexa, and Google Assistant).
✅ Gathered & Transcribed Data: Collected verbal and behavioral responses, transcribed rich qualitative data, and documented AI interaction experiences.

3. Thematic Analysis & Insight Generation

✅ Led Thematic Data Analysis: Conducted three rounds of thematic coding using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA).
✅ Identified Key UX & AI Trust Themes:

Emotional Connection vs. AI Skepticism → Users showed affection but also fear of surveillance.
Usability Barriers in AI Interaction → High-pitched voices, unpredictable AI behaviors, and lack of personalization.
Privacy & Trust Concerns → Older adults expressed hesitation about AI’s data collection and autonomy.

4. Research Dissemination & Industry Impact

✅ Under Review for DIS 2025 (ACM Conference on Designing Interactive Systems): Research is currently being evaluated for publication in a leading international AI-UX conference.
✅ Strategic AI-UX Insights for Industry: Findings contribute to AI ethics, UX optimization, and trust-building mechanisms in AI-powered robotics.

📌 Final Takeaway: Through rigorous research leadership, AI-driven human interaction studies, and deep qualitative analysis, my work contributes to future AI-robotic pet design, ethics, and user trust strategies.

🚀 How can we apply these insights to industry AI development? Let’s collaborate!

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