Could dialects make a difference in how comfortable we are with socialrobots? It depends on the context. Researchers in Germany conducteda study with 120 people in Berlin and Brandenburg, showing the participants videos of a robot using either standard German or the friendly, working-class Berlin dialect. After watching, the participants were asked to rate it on trustworthiness and competence, according to Tech Xplore.

Respondents familiar with the Berlin dialect preferred the robot using it— despite competency being linked to the robot using the standard German. The scientists identified that a dialect creates a sense of belonging to a group, so when a robot uses it, it emits a certain degree of familiarity — humans feel like they are like them. However, a dialect that may be associated with prestige or privilege may also impact the people who are on the receiving end differently.

Code-switching robots? For social robots to fulfill their purpose — to teach, care for, or comfort people — they must be perceived as trustworthy. The results of the study contribute to research on the mental workload that people experience as they interact with social robots. Mixed results aside, now the focus can shift to the people involved who shape the preferences and also conduct real-life interactions between humans and the social robots, explain the scientists in their research.

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