Through an experimental theatre play, this thesis explores the development of human-like agency in contemporary “social robot” technology. The entrance point of this study is the gender gap and lack of diversity in contemporary AI/robot development, with an emerging need for interdisciplinary research across robot technology and social sciences. Using feminist technoscience and critical posthumanism as the theoretical framework, this research involves an analysis of a particular social robot case, currently being developed at Furhat Robotics in Stockholm. Inspired by Judy Wajcman (2004), I analyze how socially intelligent machines impact perceptions of human agency, body, gender, and identity within cultural contexts and through interaction. The first part of the empirical research is carried out in the robot-lab. The robot is then, in the second part, invited to perform as an actor in a theatre play. Entangled amidst the other players and audience members, a queered agency starts to reveal itself through human-machine “intra-action” and embodiment (Barad 2003). Human-like agency in machines is shown to be a complex matter, drawing the conclusion that human-beings are vulnerable to a myriad of entanglements and preconceptions that artificial intelligence potentially embodies.

In everyday communication, humans utilise eye gaze due to its importance as a communication tool. As technology evolves, social robots are expected to become more adopted in society and, since they interact with humans, they should similarly use eye gaze to elevate the level of the interaction and increase humans’ perception of them. Previous studies have shown that robots possessing human-like gaze behaviour increase the interactants’ task performance and their perception of the robot. However, social robots must also be able to behave and respond appropriately when humans act inappropriately, and failure in doing so may normalize bad behaviour even towards other humans. Additionally, with the recent progress of wearable eyetracking technology, there is interest to see how this technology can be used to help generate human gaze into a robot. This thesis work investigates how the eye gaze behaviour from a human being can be modeled into the robot Furhat to behave more human-like in a confrontational scenario. It further investigates how a robot possessing the developed human-like gaze model compares to a robot using a believable heuristic gaze model. We created a pipeline which concerned selecting scenarios, conducting roleplays between actors of these scenarios to collect gaze, extracting and processing that gaze data and extracting probability distributions that the human-like model would utilise. Our model used frequencies to determine where to gaze and head rotation, while gamma distributions were used to sample gaze length. We then executed an online video study with the two robot conditions where participants rated either robot by filling out a questionnaire. The results show that while no statistical difference could be found, the human-like condition scored higher on the measures anthropomorphism/human-likeness and composure, whereas the heuristic condition rated higher on expertise and extroversion. As such, the human-like model did not yield a significant benefit on robot perception to opt for it. Still, we suggest that the pipeline used in this thesis work may help HRI researchers to perform gaze studies and possibly build a foundation for further development. / I vardaglig kommunikation använder människor sig av blickar på grund av dess betydelse som kommunikationsverktyg. Då teknologi ständigt utvecklas förväntas det att sociala robotar kommer att bli mer involverade i samhället, och eftersom de integrerar med människor så bör de på samma sätt använda sig av blickar och ögonrörelser för att höja nivån på interaktionen och därmed förbättra människors uppfattning av dem. Tidigare studier har visat att robotar som använder sig av blickar likt människor kan förbättra deltagarnas utförande av uppgifter samt deras uppfattning av roboten. Sociala robotar måste dock även kunna agera och svara på ett lämpligt sätt när människor beter sig olämpligt, och gör dem inte det finns risken att det olämpliga beteendet normaliseras, även i interaktioner med andra människor. Med de senaste framstegen av portabla eye-tracking enheter finns det därför ett intresse att se hur denna teknologi kan användas för att generera människolikt blickbeteende som sedan används i en robot. Denna studie undersöker hur en människas sätt att blicka och titta kan modelleras i roboten Furhat för att bete sig mer människolikt i ett scenario där konfrontation behövs. Studien undersöker dessutom hur en robot som bär ett människolikt blickbeteende jämför sig med en robot som bär ett trovärdigt heuristiskt blickbeteende. Vi skapade en struktur som involverade att välja scenarion, utföra rollspel mellan skådespelare i dessa scenarier för att samla data om deras blickmönster, extrahera och bearbeta denna data, och extraherade sannolikhetsfördelningar som den människolika modellen skulle använda sig av. Vår modell använde sig av frekvenser för att besluta var roboten skulle blicka, medan gammafördelningar användes för att generera blickens längd. Vi utförde därefter en videostudie online med de två robotvarianterna, där deltagare bedömde någon av robotarna genom att svara på en enkät. Resultaten visar att ingen statistisk signifikant skillnad kunde påvisas. Trender visade dock att modellen med människolik blickbeteende bedömdes högre i mätningen av attributerna antropomorfism/mänsklighet och fattning, medan den heuristiska modellen bedömdes högre i expertis och utåtvändighet. Därav erhöll den människolika modellen ingen signifikant framgång för att föredra den. Vi föreslår ändå att strukturen som användes i studien kan hjälpa MRI forskare att utföra studier som involverar blickbeteende hos människor, och möjligtvis bygga en grund för vidareutveckling av strukturen.

This research delves into the complex themes of perception, art, and self in Oscar Wilde's novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray." Drawing from Wilde's philosophy of "Art for Art's Sake," the study explores the characterization of Dorian Gray through the perspectives of Lord Henry and Basil Hallward. The central question revolves around whether Henry's and Basil's individual understanding of Dorian accurately represents his true nature and how this perception influences the protagonist. To establish the philosophical foundation, Wilde's essays "The Decay of Lying" and "The Critic as Artist" are analyzed, highlighting the concepts of art, critique, and the artist. The symbolic significance of the portrait and mirror is examined, revealing their role in reflecting Dorian's duality and inner conflict but also working as an extention of Henry and Basil as Art Crtitics. By incorporating Ian Watt's theory of apprehension of reality, the paper explores the limitations of Henry and Basil in comprehending Dorian's true self. Dorian is viewed as a semi-art figure, both a work of art and a human being. The research aims to shed light on why Henry and Basil fail to truly see Dorian, ultimately enhancing our understanding of his characterization. Through a methodology encompassing close reading, analysis, and interpretation, this study contributes to existing scholarship by offering new insights into the intricate exploration of self-perception and the interplay between art and life in Wilde's only novel.

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