Papers
6
Total Citations
213
H-Index
5
About
Fernando P. Santos is a leading researcher at the intersection of artificial intelligence, social robotics, and human-machine cooperation. His work centers on engineering prosocial behavior—designing autonomous agents and robots that actively foster cooperation, trust, and altruistic actions in hybrid human-machine societies. Santos’s most influential paper, “Towards prosocial design,” has garnered 98 citations and provides a comprehensive scoping review of how robots and virtual agents can trigger prosocial behavior. His foundational work, “Engineering Pro-Sociality With Autonomous Agents” (62 citations), envisions a future where machines are deliberately programmed to encourage costly, beneficial acts like helping and donating. Santos has also explored the role of empathy in social agents and the dynamics of partner selection in collective risk dilemmas, showing how “picky losers and carefree winners” shape cooperation. Notably, his user studies with robotic teammates in public goods games reveal how alignment—or misalignment—between a robot’s words and deeds impacts human trust and collaboration. Through these contributions, Santos is shaping a new paradigm: one where autonomous systems are not just functional tools, but active prosocial partners.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Engineering Pro-Sociality With Autonomous Agents62 citations · 2018
- 3Empathy and Prosociality in Social Agents23 citations · 2021
- 4
- 5Outcome-based Partner Selection in Collective Risk Dilemmas10 citations · 2019
- 6