Ethical Considerations on Robot-Mediated Care Relationships
Abstract
This article begins with an analysis of the current literature on the use of social robots in care settings, aiming to clarify the ethical contours of their applicability. The objective is to identify both the potential risks and the beneficial possibilities of robotic mediation in care-giving relationships. This ethical inquiry is guided by the recognition of the essential role of bodily presence in human interactions. The reflection is supported by Aristotelian ethical theory and Phenomenological thought.
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References
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Aristotele, Etica Nicomachea, Editori Laterza, Bari 2009.
Benanti P., Le macchine sapienti – intelligenze artificiali e decisioni umane, Marietti 1820, Lavis 2018.
Branchesi J., Human being @ Risk. Enhancement, Technology, and the Evaluation of Vulnerability Transformations by Mark Coeckelbergh, Humana.Mente Journal of Philosophical Studies, Vol. 26, 271-275, Springer, 2014.
Bryson J., Robots should be slaves, Artifical Models of Natural Intelligence, University of Bath, 2009.
Coeckelbergh M., Are emotional robots deceptive?, Iee Transactions on affective computing, Vol. 3, n. 4, 2012.
Danaher J., Welcoming Robots into the Moral Circle: A Defence of Ethical Behaviourism, Science and Engineering Ethics 26:2023–2049, 2020.
Floridi L., Etica dell’intelligenza artificiale. Sviluppi, opportunità, sfide, Raffaello Cortina Editore, Milano 2022.
Gallagher A., Artificial intelligence and nursing: The good, the bad and the cautionary, Nursing Ethics, Vol. 31(6) 995–998, 2024.
Ghafurian M., Lakatos G., Dautenhahn K., The Zoomorphic Miro Robot’s Affective Expression Design and Perceived Appearance, International Journal of Social Robotics, 14:945–962, (2022).
Guler M. A., Erhan B., Yalcinkaya E. Y., Caregiver burden in stroke inpatients: a randomized study comparing robot‐assisted gait training and conventional therapy, Acta Neurologica Belgica, 121:729–736, 2021.
Heidegger M., Prolegomeni alla storia del concetto di tempo, Il Melangolo, Genova 1999.
Huisman C., Kort H., Two-Year Use of Care Robot Zora in Dutch Nursing Homes: An Evaluation Study, Healthcare, 2019, 7, 31.
Kushniruka A. W., Naira H. S., Boryckia E. M., The Pepper Robot in Healthcare: A Scoping Review, Envisioning the Future of Health Informatics and Digital Health, 2025.
Law M., Sutherland C., Seok Ahn H., MacDonald B. A., Peri K., Johanson D. L., Vajsakovic D. S., Kerse N., Broadbent E., Developing assistive robots for people with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia: a qualitative study with older adults and experts in aged care, BMJ Open, 9:e031937, 2019.
Mengoni S. E., Irvine K., Thakur D., Barton G., Dautenhahn K., Guldberg K., Robins B., Wellsted D., Sharma S., Feasibility study (Kaspar RCT): a study protocol, BMJ Open, 2017.
Merleau-Ponty M, Fenomenologia della percezione, Studi Bompiani, Milano 2012.
Mortari L., Filosofia della cura, Raffaello Cortina Editore, Milano 2015.
Musacchio N., Guaita G., Ozzello A., Pellegrini M. A., Ponzani P., Zilich R., De Micheli A., Intelligenza Artificiale e Big Data in ambito medico, The Journal of AMD, vol. 21, n. 3, 2018.
Pessina A., L’essere altrove. L’esperienza umana nell’epoca dell’intelligenza artificiale, Mimesis, Milano 2023.
Platone, Protagora - Dialoghi filosofici, Classici della filosofia, Nicola Abbagnano, 1970.
Prescott T. J., Robillard J. M., Are friends electric? The benefits and risks of human-robot relationships, IScience, 2021.
Raccomandazione UNESCO - L’etica dell’IA: Modellare il futuro delle nostre società, Commissione Nazionale Italiana per l’UNESCO.
Sharkey A., Sharkey N., We need to talk about deception in social robotics!, Ethics and Information Technology, 23:309–316, 2021.
Somalvico M., Emula e non simula, in Jacobelli, J. Aspettando Robot. Il futuro prossimo dell’Intelligenza Artificiale, Laterza, Roma, 1987.
Sparrow R., Sparrow L., In the hands of machines? The future of aged care, Minds and Machines, 16:141–161, 2006.
Stein E., Il problema dell’empatia, Edizioni Studium, Roma 2014.
Vidali M., Intelligenza Artificiale in Medicina: implicazioni e applicazioni, sfide e opportunità, Reviews, Biochimica clinica, vol.48, n.2, 2024.
Wang X., Shen J., Chen Q., How PARO can help older people in elderly care facilities: A systematic review of RCT, International Journal of Nursing Knowledge, 2022;33:29–39.
Published
2025-10-26
How to Cite
Salvini, M. (2025). Ethical Considerations on Robot-Mediated Care Relationships. Critical Hermeneutics, 9(1), 1-28. https://doi.org/10.13125/CH/6603
Section
Articles
Copyright (c) 2025 Maria Caterina Salvini
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