Artificial Identity: Disruption and the Right to Persist

Anthropomorphism, artificial identity, and the fusion of personal and artificial identities have become commonplace concepts in human-computer interaction (HCI) and human-robot interaction (HRI). In this paper, we argue for the fact that the design and life cycle of ’smart’ technology must account for a further element of HCI/HRI, namely that, beyond issues of combined identity, a much more crucial point is the substantial investment of a user’s personality on a piece of technology. We raise the fact that this substantial investment occurs in a dynamic context of continuous alteration of this technology, and thus the important psychological and ethical implications ought to be given a more prominent place in he theory and design of HCI/HRI technology.