In the case of robotics, specific benefits vary depending on the area in which the AI is applied, with accessibility and speed being the most common benefits. 

Image credit: YoonJae Baik on Unsplash

Accessibility is the most commonly selected benefit for robotic technologies that can make day-to-day activities easier for people who otherwise might not be physically able to do them (driverless cars and vacuum cleaners), highlighting positive perceptions, and potentially high expectations, around AI making tasks easier for all of society. 

Table 5: Most commonly selected benefits for technologies using robotics

Which of the following, if any, are ways you think the use of this technology will be beneficial?’ 

Technology
1st
2nd
3rd
Autonomous weapons
1st
Preserve soliders’ lives :
54%
2nd
Faster :
50%
3rd
Fewer civilians harmed :
36%
Driverless cars
1st
Improve accessibility :
63%
2nd
Fewer accidents :
32%
3rd
More accurate than human drivers :
32%
Robotic care assistants
1st
Faster and easier :
47%
2nd
More accurate than professionals :
45%
3rd
Less discriminatory :
37%
Robotic vacuum cleaners
1st
Improve accessibility :
84%
2nd
Save time :
68%
3rd
More accurate than humans :
12%
Technology Percentage
Autonomous weapons 1 Preserve soliders’ lives 54%
2 Faster 50%
3 Fewer civilians harmed 36%
Driverless cars 1 Improve accessibility 63%
2 Fewer accidents 32%
3 More accurate than human drivers 32%
Robotic care assistants 1 Faster and easier 47%
2 More accurate than professionals 45%
3 Less discriminatory 37%
Robotic vacuum cleaners 1 Improve accessibility 84%
2 Save time 68%
3 More accurate than humans 12%

People are concerned about a lack of human interaction in AI technologies, the potential overreliance on the technology at the expense of human judgement and issues of who to hold accountable when the technology makes a mistake. As with benefits, concerns also vary depending on where robotics are applied. 

For robotic care assistants, people note significant advantages relating to efficiency (that is, faster, and more accurate). However, people are most worried about the potential loss of human interaction (78% worry that patients will miss out on the human interaction they would otherwise get from human carers’), suggesting that people do not want AI-powered technologies to replace human-to-human care. 

This is consistent with findings from the Public Attitudes to Science survey in 2019, which found that people were concerned that the use of AI and robotics in healthcare would reduce human interaction, and that the public were open to the idea of the use of this technology to support, rather than replace, a doctor. 

Nearly half of people identify concerns relating to the technology leading to job cuts to human caregiving professionals (46%), and that it would be difficult to assign responsibility for what went wrong if the robot care assistant made a mistake (45%).

In the case of driverless cars, the most selected concerns relate to: lack of reliability (62% chose the technology will not always work, making the cars unreliable’); accountability for mistakes (59% chose if the technology makes a mistake, it will be difficult to know who is responsible for what went wrong’); and lack of clarity on how decisions were made (51% chose it will be more difficult to understand how the car makes decisions compared to a human driver’).

Similarly, people’s concerns about autonomous weapons centre on overreliance on the technology (selected by 54%) and lack of clarity on who would be responsible if the technology made a mistake (selected by 53%). 


Table 6: Most commonly selected concerns for technologies using robotics

Which of the following, if any, are concerns that you have about the use of this technology?’ 

Technology
1st
2nd
3rd
Autonomous weapons
1st
Overreliance on technology :
54%
2nd
Accountability for mistakes :
53%
3rd
Unreliable :
41%
Driverless cars
1st
Unreliable :
62%
2nd
Accountability for mistakes :
59%
3rd
Transparency in decision-making :
51%
Robotic care assistants
1st
Loss of human interaction :
78%
2nd
Job cuts :
46%
3rd
Accountability for mistakes :
45%
Robotic vacuum cleaners
1st
Unreliable :
45%
2nd
Less accurate than humans :
42%
3rd
Safety :
40%
Technology Percentage
Autonomous weapons 1 Overreliance on technology 54%
2 Accountability for mistakes 53%
3 Unreliable 41%
Driverless cars 1 Unreliable 62%
2 Accountability for mistakes 59%
3 Transparency in decision-making 51%
Robotic care assistants 1 Loss of human interaction 78%
2 Job cuts 46%
3 Accountability for mistakes 45%
Robotic vacuum cleaners 1 Unreliable 45%
2 Less accurate than humans 42%
3 Safety 40%