Intention to work with social robots: the role of perceived robot use self-efficacy, attitudes towards robots, and beliefs in human nature uniqueness

Recent studies have enlightened the crucial role of perceived robot use selfefficacy in human robot interaction. This paper investigates the interplay between perceived robot use self-efficacy, attitudes towards robots, and beliefs in human nature uniqueness (BHNU) on the intention to work with social robots. Participants (N = 117) first filled out a questionnaire measuring their BHNU and attitudes towards robots. Then, they were randomly exposed to a video displaying a humanoid social robot (either humanlike or mechanical). Finally, participants indicated their robot use self-efficacy and their intention to work with the displayed social robot. Regression and serial mediation analyses showed the following: (1) the intention to work with social robots was significantly predicted by robot use self-efficacy and attitudes towards robots; (2) BHNU has a direct influence on attitudes towards robots and an indirect influence on the intention to work with social robots through attitudes towards robots and robot use self-efficacy. Our findings expand the current research on the impact of perceived robot use self-efficacy on intention to work with social robots. Implications for human robot interaction and human resource management are discussed.