How Parents Understand AI Shapes Their Trust in Learning Robots

As social robots become more common in educational settings, it’s important to understand how parents’ AI literacy and their perceptions of robot transparency shape children’s learning experiences. This work-in-progress study examines two robot personalities—Maximus, a transparent and expressive robot, and Flexion, a non-transparent, more direct robot—to explore how different levels of transparency influence parental perceptions.

Six parents participated by interacting with both robots, assessing their communication styles, and completing AI literacy questionnaires. Early results suggest that transparent behaviours—such as clear explanations and motivational feedback—lead to more positive parental perceptions.

Although limited by a small sample, this study provides valuable early insights into how transparency and parental AI literacy influence trust and acceptance. Future work will address these limitations by including children’s perspectives, involving more diverse participants, and integrating adaptive robot behaviours.