The pandemic caused social distancing, which made us heavily rely on technology. We used tools like Teams, Zoom, online banking, and vaccine status apps more than we ever thought we would.

Now, society faces an increasing number of decisions about our relationship with technology.

Robots as our servants
The word "robot" was first used by a Czech writer in 1920, meaning to do the drudgery. This suggests robots exist to do work that humans would rather not.

However, some tasks assigned to robots are controversial because they could be seen as taking jobs from humans. For example, robot-assisted dressing could be seen as automating tasks that nurses currently perform. On the other hand, it could free up time for nurses and care workers to focus on more important tasks.

Authority figures
Today, some elements of this vision are not so far away: the San Francisco Police Department has considered deploying robots - albeit under direct human control - to kill dangerous suspects.

Robots as our companions
It may be hard to believe that a human-robot relationship can be as strong as human-to-human or pet-to-human relationships, but increasing loneliness in society may make a robotic companion better than nothing.

The Paro Robot, designed to look like a baby harp seal, is a successful example of a companion robot. Research shows that the more human-like a robot looks, the more we trust it.

We have control over our relationship with robots, and it's not decided yet. To make good choices, we need to ask the right questions. What do we want robots to do for us?

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