Toward Designing Trustworthy Autonomous Systems: Probing the Role of Humans' Ethical Perspectives

Xinhui Hu, Masooda Bashir

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

This study explores whether there is a predictive relationship between humans' ethical perspectives and their trust in autonomous systems (AS). Whether AS can make ethically acceptable decisions, especially in safety-critical situations involving value trade-offs, has become a significant determinant of how humans will trust these systems. However, knowledge about these relation-based trust dimensions is largely absent from the current theoretical framework of human-AS trust. Addressing this gap, this study used MTurk and Qualtrics to perform an online survey that assessed people's ethical perspectives, trust in automation, and propensity to trust. The results showed that: (1) Significant differences in trust in automation were seen across four ethical perspectives, confirming the predictive relationship between human ethical perspectives and AS trust. (2) There was no significant difference in propensity to trust among ethical orientations. (3) There was a positive but weak association between trust in automation and willingness to trust. The latter two observations jointly show that trust in automation and trust propensity may be regulated by distinct mechanisms. This study has contributed to existing knowledge by (1) validating the predictive relationship between human ethical perspectives and how they trust AS, (2) revealing potential mechanisms underlying such discrepancies, and (3) highlighting how these differences could help the design of trustworthy AS.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication2022 IEEE 25th International Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design, CSCWD 2022
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages974-979
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9781665405270
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022
Event25th IEEE International Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design, CSCWD 2022 - Hangzhou, China
Duration: May 4 2022May 6 2022

Publication series

Name2022 IEEE 25th International Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design, CSCWD 2022

Conference

Conference25th IEEE International Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design, CSCWD 2022
Country/TerritoryChina
CityHangzhou
Period5/4/225/6/22

Keywords

  • Adaptive Automation
  • Autonomous System
  • Autonomy
  • HCI Theories and Methods
  • HCI and Humanities
  • Human Automation Interaction
  • Technology Ethics
  • Trust

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design
  • Computer Science Applications

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Toward Designing Trustworthy Autonomous Systems: Probing the Role of Humans' Ethical Perspectives'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this