This paper presents a participatory, qualitative focus group study with 13 young carers - young people between 13 to 18 years old who take care of a parent due to either a chronic illness, mental health problem, or other condition connected with a need for care in Wales and England. We identify and assert young carers as an important, thus far unconsidered, user group in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). As such, this study is the first to explore this group's unique perspectives, highlighting their lived experiences and perceptions of care robots in the domestic setting. Our findings reveal the heterogeneity of this group, particularly regarding support for their caregiving roles and their ongoing use of technology. While participants saw social robots as having potential, especially for (i) time management, (ii) emotional and (iii) informational support, and (iv) monitoring their parent's health; concerns were raised about issues such as (1) malfunction, (2) limited range, (3) privacy and (4) cost. We distil our findings into some reflections on how future HRI research might better consider this important user group, including some methodological reflections on the practical, ethical and emotional challenges of undertaking this type of work.

Chatbots designed to achieve specific goals are increasingly used in service roles. Human-like characteristics in chatbots are seen as beneficial to interaction. Given the purpose-driven nature of goal-oriented chatbots, whether humanlikess of various characteristics of these chatbots has an effect on their perception and use is unclear. This study explores the role of humanlikeness in goal-oriented chatbots through three experiments focused on agent behavior, interaction modality, and communication medium in a travel-assistant context. The findings suggest that while human-like behavioral attributes enhance perceptions of anthropomorphism, animacy, and likeability, they do not significantly affect reliability, perceived intelligence, or safety. The text medium was also perceived as more trustworthy and anthropomorphic than the voice medium. Overall, successful task completion seems to be the most crucial factor in shaping user perceptions, suggesting that humanlikeness may be less critical in goal-oriented chatbot interactions.

Abstract In this conceptual article, we argue that artificial intelligence (AI) systems are contributing to the generation of an environment of affordances for everyday information practices through which they exert influence on people and the planet in ways that often are left unrecognized. We illustrate our insights by focusing on the practices of information seeking in everyday life, suggesting that the affordances of AI systems integrated into search engines, social media platforms, streaming services, and media generation, shape such practices in ways that may, paradoxically, result both in the increase and reduction of diversity of and access to information. We discuss the potential implications of these developments in terms of the sustainability of information ecosystems and suggest solutions for addressing them through regulation and education. Drawing from the fields of library and information science and science and technology studies and research on affordances, everyday information practices, and sustainability, the article seeks to respond to the need for more nuanced theoretical insights on the impact and implications of AI on information practices and to develop conceptual tools with which to examine the co‐evolution of humans and information systems from a systemic perspective.

In this paper we investigate the possibility of socially assistive robots (SARs) supporting diagnostic screening for peripartum depression (PPD) within the next five years. Through a HRI/socio-legal collaboration, we explore the gender norms within PPD in Sweden, to inform a gender-sensitive approach to designing SARs in such a setting, as well as governance implications. This is achieved through conducting expert interviews and qualitatively analysing the data. Based on the results, we conclude that a gender-sensitive approach is a necessity in relation to the design and governance of SARs for PPD screening.

Station ID for Japanese music TV-station Space Shower.

Concept: AUJIK are an esoteric group who believes in animism and worships nature.