Machine Replacement: A Mind-Role Fit Perspective

Here we review work examining reactions to machines replacing humans in both professional and personal domains. Using a mind-role fit perspective, we synthesize findings across several decades of research spanning multiple disciplines to suggest the types and trends for how people will respond to machines replacing humans. We propose that as intelligent machines have evolved to possess “minds,” their range of replacement and the scope of people's reactions to this replacement increase. Additionally, we suggest that people's reactions to machine replacement depend on the fit between the perceived mind of the machine and their ideal conception of the mind deemed suitable for that particular role. Our review organizes the literature on machine replacement into three distinct phases: the pre-2000s era, characterized by the perception of machines as mindless tools; the 2000s, which explored the extent to which machines are perceived as possessing minds; and the 2010s, marked by the proliferation of artificial intelligence and the emergence of reactions such as algorithm aversion and appreciation. This review suggests that our mind-role fit perspective is influenced by three key factors: how an individual in the machine interaction is involved in or affected by the introduction of intelligent machines, the characteristics of the machine itself, and the nature of the task the machine is intended to perform.