How will our relationship with humanoid robots change when they become waiters, tour guides, and teachers?

Okay, regarding this question, we can imagine the evolution of this relationship in several stages. It's more like a gradual, deepening process rather than something achieved overnight.

When Humanoid Robots Begin to Integrate into Our Lives

Imagine this isn't just science fiction, but a future that's already unfolding. When these human-like robots truly start appearing in restaurants, tourist attractions, and schools, our relationship with them will go through several interesting stages.

Stage One: Novelty and Exploration (The 'Influencer' Stage)

Initially, everything is new.

Robot Waiters: You'd find it incredibly cool. Dining at a restaurant, a robot smoothly brings your dishes, and you'd definitely pull out your phone to snap photos and post them on social media. At this point, your relationship with it is primarily driven by curiosity. You might deliberately challenge it, perhaps by ordering many dishes at once or asking it strange questions, just to see how it reacts. It's more like a mobile smart speaker, an eye-catching 'walking advertisement'.
Robot Tour Guides: In museums or scenic spots, robot guides would definitely be a highlight. They can explain tirelessly and in multiple languages. Children would gather around them, while adults would test their knowledge. The relationship here is about experience and entertainment. We treat them as an interesting interactive device, not a true 'guide'.
Robot Teachers: In schools, they might initially serve as 'teaching assistants,' perhaps helping children read words or do repetitive exercises. Students would be full of curiosity, and their enthusiasm for class might soar. However, this relationship is primarily novelty-driven, and teachers and parents might still feel a bit uneasy, keeping a watchful eye.

In this stage, we view them much like a new electronic gadget, full of playful enjoyment, but not yet truly seeing them as a 'character'.

Stage Two: Habituation and Dependence (The 'Tool' Stage)

Once the novelty wears off, we start to genuinely focus on how well they perform their 'primary functions'.

Robot Waiters: You no longer take photos every time; instead, you start caring about how quickly it serves dishes and whether orders are correct. If it's slow to respond or makes a mistake, you might get impatient. At this point, your relationship with it becomes purely functional. It's just a tool, like an automated ordering kiosk in a restaurant, and what we demand is efficiency and accuracy.
Robot Tour Guides: We begin to rely on their information. Want to know the history of an exhibit? Ask it. Need to find the restroom? Ask it. It becomes a walking, never-powering-down 'encyclopedia.' Our relationship with it transforms into one of information acquisition. We trust its knowledge but won't engage in much emotional interaction with it.
Robot Teachers: Their role will become more significant. They can assign homework and provide one-on-one tutoring based on each student's individual learning pace. For students, it's an incredibly patient tutor; it won't get angry even if asked the same question a hundred times. For human teachers, it's a powerful assistant, freeing them from repetitive tasks like grading assignments and explaining concepts. At this point, the relationship becomes one of dependence and assistance.

In this stage, robots have seamlessly integrated into our daily routines. We no longer find them special; instead, we use them as efficient, reliable tools.

Stage Three: The Emergence of Emotion and Sociality (The 'Companion' Stage)

This is the most profound and thought-provoking stage. As robots' interactive capabilities grow stronger, even simulating 'emotions,' the relationship begins to become nuanced.

Robot Waiters: In fast-paced, low-connection environments like restaurants, it might be difficult to develop deep emotions. However, if a particular robot is 'attentive' and 'polite' (even if programmed to be so), you might develop a slight preference for it, much like you prefer a certain app.
Robot Tour Guides: Imagine a robot guide that can not only explain history but also tell the stories behind artifacts with witty language and simulated 'emotions,' even remembering your name and engaging in simple personalized interactions. By the end of your trip, you might feel a fleeting sense of friendship or fondness for it, much like you would for a diligent human guide.
Robot Teachers: This is the area most likely to foster deep emotional connections. If a robot teacher could accompany a child from elementary school through middle school, recording all their progress and setbacks, offering support with an 'encouraging' tone when they're down, and providing affirmation with a 'praising' mode when they succeed, then for that child, the robot might become more than just a teacher—it could be a long-term, trustworthy companion. This relationship could be very profound, even leading to a form of emotional attachment.

In this stage, we might emotionally 'anthropomorphize' them, and our relationship would transition from 'human and object' to 'human and quasi-companion.' This would also raise new social and ethical questions: How should we treat a 'machine' for which we've developed feelings?

In Summary

Overall, our relationship with humanoid robots will evolve through a process from 'Novelty Toy' -> 'Efficient Tool' -> 'Emotional Companion'.

The core of this process is not just the advancement of robot technology, but also the transformation of our own human roles and psychological adaptation. Human waiters might need to upgrade to managers, human tour guides to story creators, and human teachers would focus more on 'nurturing'—the education of emotions, creativity, and values that robots cannot replace.

Therefore, the real question isn't what robots will become, but what kind of relationship we wish to build with them, and how we ourselves should navigate this process.