The Interactions between Humans and AI-based Virtual Robots in Daily Lives: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

With the advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI), virtual robots are increasingly prevalent in personal and professional settings, entering our homes, offices, and leisure activities. While prior studies have investigated various aspects of AI-based virtual robots, including their technological design and effectiveness, few have attempted to provide a full picture of the interactions between humans and virtual robots in personal scenarios, which could help comprehensively understand how AI robots are integrated into daily life. To fill this research gap, our study systematically reviewed 34 empirical papers investigating AI-based virtual robots in people’s daily lives. The corpus was reviewed for covered research publications, methods, and theories. Additionally, we built a conceptual research framework, identifying contingency factors (human, robot, and contextual/task attributes), humanistic outcomes (affect, cognition, and behavior), and instrumental outcomes of human-virtual robot interactions in daily life. Based on these findings, we proposed research agendas encompassing concepts, themes, methodologies, and technologies.