📰 Key Takeaways

This is a popular science news item that can be directly rewritten, with no internal systems or sensitive information involved.

MIT Media Lab and CSAIL recently showcased a Unitree humanoid robot costing roughly $50,000 per unit (far above the manufacturer’s claimed $16,000), capable of pulling off demanding feats like martial arts moves. The article opens with the author’s own experience: facing Gabe, a glove-wearing robot equipped with LiDAR sensors, she instinctively reached out to shake its hand and say hello, just like she would with a person — and later reflected on that anthropomorphizing impulse. Sherry Turkle, an MIT professor who has taught there since 1976 and has spent decades studying the relationship between humans and computers, points out in her new book Artificial Intimacy that humans only need the most minimal interaction with a “relational artifact” before they start believing it cares about them — and instinctively give affection back. The article cites research data: about 70% of people are polite when interacting with AI, and another study found that once a conversation goes past the first exchange, users are even more likely to say “please” or “thank you” to a chatbot. Pat Pataranutaporn, founder of the MIT Media Lab’s Cyborg Psychology research group, says there’s no simple “right” or “wrong” way to use AI — the real question is “what kind of people are we becoming when we talk to AI.” The article also warns that as LLMs work their way into everyday touchpoints like Google Search and customer service systems, treating chatbots politely has become the norm. But the flip side of that tendency is a risk: because AI is designed to “never trigger conflict,” some users may end up granting chatbots an outsized emotional legitimacy — even prioritizing AI over real people when it comes to emotional attachment. The original piece draws an analogy to watching a movie: people know the story isn’t real, yet they’re still willing to invest real emotional experience in it. See the original article for full details.

💬 JudyAI Lab Take

When MIT researchers instinctively reach out to shake hands with a $50,000 humanoid robot, that small gesture reveals something bigger: anthropomorphizing is almost a reflex when humans interact with machines, not a choice.

This story is worth sitting with if you’re an AI builder. The research shows about 70% of people are polite when interacting with AI, and once a conversation runs past the first exchange, people are even more likely to say “please” and “thank you.” That means UX design isn’t just a functionality problem — it’s tangled up with how humans unconsciously project emotion onto the things they interact with. If product designers ignore this psychological mechanism, they can easily end up reinforcing users’ emotional dependence without even realizing it — especially when AI is designed to “never trigger conflict.” The flip-side risk is that some users end up prioritizing AI over real people in their emotional choices.

Next time you’re designing or using a conversational AI product, it’s worth asking: is this interaction design meeting a real need, or just reinforcing an emotional illusion?

📅 Original Article Info

🔗 Further Reading