Robots in the Room explores what happens when embodied artificial intelligence becomes a participant in democratic deliberation. As virtual assistants, chatbots, and social robots increasingly shape how people think, feel, and interact, their influence extends beyond private and workplace settings. Yet little is known about how humans perceive AI in explicitly democratic contexts – especially when AI is physically present in the room. 

This interdisciplinary project brings together expertise from political science, robotics, and psychology to investigate how human agency, trust, and social dynamics shift when a humanoid robot takes part in democratic forums. 

The research  

The exploratory workshops in November 2025 consisted of six small-group deliberations at the University of Canberra, involving 24 participants. In each session, four human participants were joined by a humanoid robot, Pepper, participating as a peer: articulating positions, responding to arguments, and engaging in discussion. The one-hour deliberations were moderated by a professional facilitator and designed to replicate key features of democratic forums. Participants took part in quantitative surveys both pre and post deliberation. In addition, after each session participants took part in qualitative interviews reflecting on their experience and considering what role – if any – robots should play in democratic processes. 

Public engagement 

On 15 November, the project hosted a lively public event that examined the promises and challenges of incorporating AI into democratic spaces. Discussion explored a range of topics: from the ethics of robot participation to broader debates around robot personhood in civic and democratic contexts. The project team also shared early findings: humans can form emotional bonds with robots, that the presence of AI can shape group dynamics, and that these developments raise important questions about agency, legitimacy, and representation. 

The panel included Dr Hans Asenbaum, Dr Damith Herath, Dr Nadine Alnemr, Pepper the robot, supported by Dr Maleen Jayasuriya and was facilitated by Dr Emanuela Savini. 

Publications 

Herath, D., Asenbaum, H., Busby Grant, J., Jayasuriya, M., Savini, E., Ghanta, H. (2026). Robots in the Room: A Qualitative Exploration of Democratic Agency and AI-augmented Deliberations. Human-Robot Interaction Conference 2026 

More to follow.