Robots can become role models, and that means we need to design them carefully

When you spend a lot of time with someone, their characteristics can rub off on you. But what happens when that someone is a robot? As artificial intelligence systems become increasingly human, their abilities to influence people also improve. New Scientist reports that children who spend time with a robotic companion appear to pick up elements of its behavior. New experiments suggest that when kids play with a robot that's a real go-getter, for instance, the child acquires some of its unremitting can-do attitude.