Papers
1
Total Citations
11
H-Index
1
About
Yam Kai’s research lies at the fascinating intersection of human-robot interaction and social cognition, exploring how people perceive and engage with embodied artificial agents. In their most-cited work, “People treat social robots as real social agents” (2023, 11 citations), Kai demonstrates that when individuals encounter robots that move and speak, they instinctively interact with them as genuine social beings—attributing minds and intentions to them, rather than viewing them as mere machines. This finding challenges common assumptions about anthropomorphism, revealing that embodied presence and dynamic behavior trigger authentic social responses. Kai’s contributions are pivotal for designing more intuitive and socially acceptable robots, with implications for fields from healthcare to education. Though early in their career, their work has already sparked interest in how humans navigate mixed social worlds. By bridging robotics and psychology, Yam Kai is shaping how we understand—and build—the social technologies of tomorrow.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1People treat social robots as real social agents11 citations · 2023