CEIAI Governance Database
Back to the database
Record STMT-W1A62D6Aspirational

Towards a Socio-Legal Robotics: A Theoretical Framework on Norms and Adaptive Technologies

Position paper State lawGlobaladopted

This article proposes a conceptual framework for 'socio-legal robotics' by bridging Sociology of Law, Gender Studies, and Human-Robot Interaction. It examines how adaptive technologies and social robots mirror and potentially reproduce social norms, stereotypes, and power dynamics, particularly regarding gender. The authors outline three levels of adaptive technologies—design, datasets, and in situ personalisation—and advocate for approaching algorithmic and robotic modeling as a situated practice to address fairness in society.

Summary and content fields are drawn from the document text and are pending editorial review.

Who issued it

SpringerIndustry
Publisher
Lund UniversityAcademic · SE
Contributor
Uppsala UniversityAcademic · SE
Contributor
Legal forceAspirational
Under whose authorityState law
Judged fromfull text

Who it governs

Researchers and academicsAI developers and providersAI deployers and users

Researchers, developers, and ethicists in human-robot interaction who want to understand the social and gender implications of adaptive robotic technologies.

Sectors
Research and science · social robotics and human-robot interaction research

What the document contains

What's covered

The article covers the integration of socio-legal theory and gender studies into social robotics, analyzing how robots learn from and mirror human social norms, and proposing a framework involving design, datasets, and personalisation levels.

What's missing

The document does not provide binding legal regulations, specific technical code implementations, or enforcement mechanisms for robot developers.

Key takeaways
  • Social robots and adaptive technologies risk mirroring and amplifying existing societal biases, sexism, and stereotypes.
  • A socio-legal robotics framework integrates Sociology of Law and Gender Studies with Human-Robot Interaction to examine informal social norms.
  • Normative mirroring occurs across three distinct levels of adaptive technologies: design, datasets, and in situ personalisation.
  • Fairness in robotics must be treated as a contextualized and situated practice rather than an abstract property of technology.
Principles it states
Social robots must be evaluated beyond simple human-robot acceptability to critically assess the norms they reproduce.Algorithmic modeling and robotic design should account for power relations, intersectionality, and situated human contexts.
Outline
· 1 Introduction: The Social in Social Robotics
· 1.1 Purpose and Aims
· 1.2 Developing the Argument: Acceptability and Personalisation
· 2 Theoretical Development: Interdisciplinary Contributions
· 2.1 Sociology of Law as a Study of Norms
· 2.2 Gender Studies
· 3 A Theoretical Framework
· 3.1 Discussion
· 4 Conclusions
Issued20 October 2023
Length12,775 words · 14 pages
FormatNot recorded
Scopeglobal

How it scores

Pending review

Each score is backed by a quote verified against the document text. Editorial review has not yet confirmed them.

Accountability

2/5

Clear responsibility for AI outcomes

leading to questions of accountability for those devising the mirror, its reproducing as well as amplifying abilities

2.1.1 The Robotic Mirroring of Social Norms

screening score · 2026-10-24

Human Dignity

1/5

Respect for the inherent worth of persons

We use the term adaptive technologies (see Fig. 1) to theorise on how robotic design, with or without AI-systems, adapt to or reproduce social norms in their design or via collected data.

1 Introduction: The Social in Social Robotics

screening score · 2026-10-24

Human Oversight

0/5

Humans remain in control of consequential decisions

screening score · 2026-10-24

Privacy

0/5

Protection of personal data and private life

screening score · 2026-10-24

Enforcement

0/5

Consequences and compliance mechanisms with real force

screening score · 2026-10-24

Impact Assessment

1/5

Required assessment of an AI system's risks/impacts before or during use

we see a need for a developed understanding of what role social norms play in social robotics, particularly with regards to fairness.

Abstract

screening score · 2026-10-24

Topics

Physical AI Governancesupporting
socio_legal_robotics human_robot_interaction social_norms gender_studies adaptive_technologies algorithmic_fairness