Alyssa Hanson

Papers

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About

Alyssa Hanson investigates the ethical and social dynamics of human-robot interaction, with a focus on how people perceive and assign responsibility to autonomous systems. Her research explores the implications of wakeword-based interaction in social robots, examining how design choices like "Hey Jibo" affect user engagement, privacy, and the natural flow of conversation. In her highly cited 2023 paper "Fresh Start" (9 citations), she critically analyzes how wakewords may inadvertently encourage impolite or transactional interaction patterns, raising important questions about the long-term social impact of such interfaces. In her 2024 work "The Power of Advice" (3 citations), Hanson delves into moral psychology, revealing that people blame human and robot advisors differently in ethical decision-making contexts. This work highlights the unique persuasive power of language-capable robots and the need for them to navigate complex moral norms. Hanson's contributions are vital as robots become more embedded in daily life, offering both cautionary insights and design guidance for creating socially responsible AI. Her scholarship bridges human-computer interaction, ethics, and robotics, making her a key voice in shaping how we build and evaluate morally aware autonomous systems.