Japanese apologize to robots: unexpected results from scientists

A joint study by scientists from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) and Waseda University in Tokyo has revealed striking cultural differences in attitudes toward artificial intelligence and robots between residents of Japan and Western countries.

During experiments based on game theory, participants had to choose between cooperative and selfish behavior when interacting with both humans and machines. The results showed a significant gap in approaches: while Europeans and Americans tend to treat AI and robots as soulless tools that can be used for their own benefit, Japanese people demonstrate equally respectful attitudes toward both humans and machines.

The study revealed vivid examples of these differences in everyday life. If in the West, drivers unhesitatingly cut off autonomous vehicles or manipulate algorithms for their own benefit, Japanese people experience moral discomfort even at the thought of unfair treatment of machines.

Scientists attribute this to deep cultural characteristics. In Western society, the sense of moral responsibility is traditionally limited to interactions between people, and technologies are perceived exclusively as tools. In Japan, by contrast, there is a historical perception of technology as an integral part of the social structure, where robots and AI are endowed with a certain social status.

These cultural differences may have far-reaching consequences for the development of robotics and artificial intelligence. Researchers predict that Japan may become the first country where autonomous vehicles and AI assistants will be fully integrated into public life and accepted as equal participants in social interactions.

At the same time, in Western countries, the automation process may face certain resistance due to cultural barriers and the established utilitarian attitude toward technology. This difference in perception can significantly affect the speed and nature of the adoption of new technologies in different regions of the world.