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About

Thomas M. Arnold is a pioneering scholar at the intersection of robotics ethics, human-robot interaction (HRI), and moral philosophy, whose work has fundamentally shaped how researchers and designers think about the ethical dimensions of autonomous systems. With over 600 citations across his major publications, Arnold has established himself as a leading voice in articulating the moral challenges posed by increasingly sophisticated robots. His most influential contributions include groundbreaking empirical studies on how people apply moral norms to robot agents — most notably his 2015 paper on moral judgment and robots (238 citations) — alongside provocative investigations into intimate human-robot relationships, including his widely discussed examination of sex robots (112 citations). Arnold has been particularly attentive to embodiment and tactile interaction, exploring the ethical implications of soft robotics and robot touch in ways that bridge engineering and humanistic inquiry. Beyond empirical work, Arnold consistently challenges the field theoretically, questioning frameworks like the moral Turing test and pushing HRI research beyond narrow dilemma-based scenarios. His more recent work on AI explainability demonstrates a broadening scope, addressing how autonomous systems must remain accountable and transparent to the humans they serve — a fitting evolution for a scholar dedicated to designing technology wisely.