Editorial: Do we really interact with artificial agents as if they are human?

Editorial on the Research Topic
Do we really interact with artificial agents as if they are human?

Social interactions with artificial agents, such as voice agents, physically-embodied robots and avatars in virtual reality, are becoming increasingly normalised. As we strive to understand and optimise these social interactions–and human interactions in general–a pertinent question is: Do we really interact with artificial agents as if they are human? A wealth of related questions that are ripe for exploration concern the factors or conditions that might make this more or less likely.

In this Research Topic, we propose that this line of empirical enquiry is important, not only in informing how we can best design and position artificial agents in various applied contexts (e.g., education, entertainment, healthcare delivery), but also so we can inform how artificial agents can continue to be used as a valid tool in human social neuroscience research. Over the past decade, artificial agents have become a critical tool in experimental social neuroscience.