Humans less likely to turn off robot when it begs to stop, study finds

The robot Nao is featured as part of an experiment studying whether humans would shut off a robot if it pleaded with the participant. Would you unplug a robot if it was begging you to stop? A study from researchers in Germany found humans were more likely to listen to the robot if it objected to being turned off than when it didn't respond. The study featured 85 people who sat opposite the robot, named Nao, and were told the goal of their experiment was to improve its interaction capabilities through a series of tasks. Once all tasks were completed, participants were told they could shut off the robot.