Overview

• Researchers from the University of Potsdam conducted a study to understand the impact of local dialects on the perception of trust and competence in social robots.
• The study involved 120 Berlin residents who were shown a video of a robot speaking in either standard German or the Berlin dialect.
• Overall, the study found a direct link between perceived competence and trust in the robot. However, there was no significant difference in the ratings for the standard German-speaking robot and the Berlin dialect-speaking robot.
• Participants who considered themselves proficient in the Berlin dialect showed a preference for the dialect-speaking robot.
• The researchers believe that the context and use case of the interaction with the robot can determine whether trust or competence is more important.