The commonly used Media Equation framework in human-machine communication research exhibits limitations when explaining human-machine relationships in the AI era, giving rise to the Media Evocation paradigm. Based on the Media Evocation framework, this study employs in-depth interviews to investigate whether interactions between humans and the in-car robot Nomi are mindful or mindless, while also examining whether these interactions prompt reflections on the machine’s ontology. The findings indicate that most participants perceive Nomi as a human-like actor and interact with it mindfully. High quality social cues, such as voice and facial expressions, can trigger mindful anthropomorphic responses in human-machine interaction, eliciting behaviors such as decorating the robot and projecting emotions onto it. Most participants regard Nomi as occupying a hybrid social role, akin to a combination of a pet and a friend, and perceive it as an independent entity rather than one that is reliant on humans. Mindfulness and mindlessness exhibit variations in distinguishing criteria, triggering conditions, and fundamental characteristics. Discussions of the ontology of machines need to be situated within specific relationships and contexts, reflecting dynamic, complex, and variable characteristics.
Wang et al. (Sat,) studied this question.