Kaisa Elovaara
Papers
2
Total Citations
12
H-Index
2
About
Kaisa Elovaara is a researcher in moral psychology and human-robot interaction, exploring how people judge the ethical decisions of autonomous agents. Her key research area centers on moral dilemmas—specifically, whether robots are held to different ethical standards than humans in high-stakes scenarios. In her most-cited work, "Innocence over utilitarianism: Heightened moral standards for robots in rescue dilemmas" (2023, 10 citations), Elovaara conducted a landmark series of eight experiments (total N = 3,752) that challenged prior assumptions. While earlier studies suggested robots are expected to be more utilitarian, her findings revealed that people actually demand stricter moral conduct from robots—expecting them to prioritize deontological "innocence" over cold cost-benefit calculations. This work has reshaped debates in machine ethics, showing that public expectations for robots are not simply more utilitarian, but paradoxically more idealistic. Elovaara’s research has significant implications for designing ethical AI in rescue, military, and healthcare contexts. Her preprint (2021, 2 citations) laid the groundwork for this influential study, establishing her as a rising voice in moral psychology and human-robot interaction.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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