In Age of Autonomous Vehicles, Talking Cars Reassure Drivers

Oh the humanity! According to the results of a recent psychological study on possible human reactions to autonomous cars, the subjects were four times as likely to trust a self-driving car with a human name and voice.

Enter Iris, who gave the study, and the future of mindless driving machines, a genuine human voice. As noted by researcher Nicholas Epley, the voice allowed riders to infer the presence of a mind controlling the car, rather than code and sensors, and to relax physiologically. Herbie (and Alexa and Siri), looks like you’ve got competition. 

To read the story from the Chicago Tribune, click here.

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