「研究顯示:機器人佈道,獲得較少的捐獻」
(全文下載:https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/xge-xge0001443.pdf)
很有趣的「AI與宗教」量化研究。新聞標題一句話,戳中重點:「研究顯示:機器人佈道,獲得較少的捐獻」
摘要言簡意賅,我分成三點:
1. "we consistently show that religious adherents perceive robot preachers—and the institutions which employ them—as less credible than human preachers. This lack of credibility explains reductions in religious commitment after people listen to robot (vs. human) preachers deliver sermons. "(我們的研究一致表明,宗教信徒認為機器人傳教士—以及雇用它們的宗教機構—比人類傳教士的可信度更低。這種可信度的缺失解釋了為什麼在聽完機器人(相比人類)傳教士的佈道後,人們的宗教信仰程度會降低。)
2. "religious elites require perceived minds (agency and patiency) to be credible, which is partly why robot preachers inspire less credibility than humans."(宗教界的領袖要獲得可信度,必須被認為具有心智能力(包括主動性和被動感受性),這也是為什麼機器人傳教士比不上人類傳教士可信度的部分原因)
3. "Our studies support cultural evolutionary theories of religion and suggest that escalating religious automation may induce religious decline."(我們的研究支持宗教文化演化理論,並表明不斷增加的宗教自動化可能會導致宗教的衰退)
該論文首頁中間的Public Significance Statement值得注意,內容如下:
”The rise of robots and artificial intelligence is changing how people work and live. The economic and political consequences of this trend have been widely studied, but less is known about the cultural consequences. Here, we study how automation may instigate cultural change as robots move into a new domain: religion. We argue that automated preachers and sermon-writers may reduce religious commitment. According to cultural evolutionary theories of religion, religious elites are effective not only because they can capably carry out their duties, but also because they are viewed as highly credible. Robots are capable of writing and delivering sermons, but people do not view them as credible religious elites, a critical perception for sustaining religious commitment in adherents. Two field studies and an online experiment support our key claims and suggest that automation of religious duties may prompt declines in religious commitment.“