Human-machine interactions: Bots are more successful if they impersonate humans

The artificial voices of Siri, Alexa, or Google, and their often awkward responses, leave no room for doubt that we are not talking to a real person. The latest technological breakthroughs that combine artificial intelligence with deceptively realistic human voices now make it possible for bots to pass themselves off as humans. This has led to new ethical issues: Is bots' impersonation of humans a case of deception? Previous research has shown that humans prefer not to cooperate with intelligent bots. But if people do not even notice that they are interacting with a machine and cooperation between the two is therefore more successful, would it not make sense to maintain the deception in some cases?