Perception of robots in Kenya’s infosphere: Tools or colleagues?

Abstract

Abstract For many years, robots have worked autonomously in highly controlled environments away from human beings. With increasing advancements in robotics, there is a notable effort to transfer robots from isolation to workspaces shared with human beings. This has the potential to revolutionise the concept of work in the information sphere as we know it today. As engineers and programmers take care of technological and software issues, one overarching concern relates to how robots and human beings will relate to each other in the shared workspaces in the infosphere. This chapter explores attitudes and perceptions of information workers in Kenya towards robots in the information workspace. Two major questions are addressed in the chapter: Are robots considered as machines or colleagues by information professionals in Kenya? Are they pieces of equipment, or would they function as co-workers? This chapter is anchored on primary data obtained through key informant interviews with 20 information professionals in Kenya and secondary data from the literature review. The findings indicate that whereas information professionals in Kenya acknowledge the potential role of robots in handling the dirty, dangerous and dull elements of work in the infosphere, they consider them as machines incapable of relating to human workers as colleagues. Given that there are currently no collaborative robots in Kenya’s infosphere, the views of the professionals interviewed are not based on practical or actual perceptions. Nonetheless, these views are strengthened through literature from situations where collaborative robots exist. This chapter prepares information professionals to accept and collaboratively work with robots.