Does our habit of issuing commands to robots affect our real-life interpersonal interactions?

How Does Habitually Giving Commands to Robots Affect Our Interactions with Others?

This is an excellent question, and many people share similar concerns. Just as our mental math skills might decline if we habitually rely on calculators, consistently using a commanding tone with robots could indeed subtly influence how we interact with real people.

I believe there are several main areas of impact:

1. Patience Might Decrease

Robots' most prominent characteristic is their absolute obedience: they do exactly as told, react quickly, don't complain, and follow instructions precisely. If you tell it to turn on the air conditioning at 3 PM, it will never turn it on at 3:01 PM.

Once accustomed to this instant gratification, we might become impatient when dealing with people.

• For instance, if you ask a family member to hand you something, they might be busy and say, "Just a moment." At that point, you might feel a bit annoyed, thinking, "Why are they so slow?"
• Or, at work, if you assign a task to a colleague, they might need time to understand, plan, or even offer different opinions. Having grown used to a robot-like "execution," we might perceive them as "inefficient" or "uncooperative."

We gradually forget that people are not machines; they have their own emotions, thoughts, and pace.

2. Communication Might Become 'Instrumental'

When we interact with robots, we use "commands," not "communication." For example: "Turn off the light," "Play music," "Set an alarm." There's no need for polite phrases like "please," "thank you," or "excuse me," because the other party is a machine with no emotional needs.

If this habit carries over into daily life, our language might become increasingly direct, even a bit "cold" or "impersonal."

• We might overlook the "lubricants" of communication. For instance, in a restaurant, we might directly tell a waiter, "Get me a glass of water," instead of "Hello, could you please get me a glass of water, thank you."
• Within the family, we might also reduce seemingly "unnecessary" but actually very important emotional exchanges, such as "You worked hard today" or "This is delicious."

In the long run, relationships between people might become more like "task collaboration," losing a lot of human warmth.

3. Empathy Might Weaken

Robots have no "feelings." If you yell at it, it won't be sad; if you praise it, it won't genuinely be happy.

Interacting long-term with entities that provide no emotional feedback might gradually make us "forget" to consider others' feelings. Empathy, the ability to "put oneself in others' shoes," is a social skill that requires continuous practice. If our interactions with robots increase and our genuine interactions with people decrease, this "social muscle" could potentially atrophy.

We might feel like "I'm just stating the facts," while overlooking that such a statement could make the other person feel hurt or embarrassed.

But There's No Need to Be Overly Pessimistic

While I've discussed many negative impacts, things are not so absolute.

Firstly, most people possess the ability to 'context switch.' We know deep down that talking to a robot is different from talking to a person. It's like how we wouldn't use the same tone we use with a pet when reporting to our boss. As long as we maintain this awareness, we can switch to the appropriate communication mode in different situations.

Secondly, this issue also serves to remind us of the value of 'real human interaction.' Precisely because interactions with robots are so programmatic and cold, we can better appreciate the warmth, unpredictability, and richness of communication between people. A friend's sudden concern, a family member's thoughtful greeting—these are things robots cannot provide.

In summary,

Habitually giving commands to robots indeed carries the risk of making us more impatient, direct, and less empathetic in our interpersonal relationships.

The key lies in maintaining awareness. We must remind ourselves that tools are ultimately just tools, meant to make our lives more convenient, not to turn us into people who act like tools. Let's not lose the most precious warmth and emotional connection between people while enjoying the convenience of technology.