PolyU Shows Music Enhances Robot Empathy Over Time

Researchers at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University report that combining AI-driven empathetic speech with music increases perceived empathy and social presence in on-screen robots across three interaction sessions with Cantonese-speaking participants (N1=139, N3=121). The effect boosted initial bonding and lifelike impressions but diminished with habituation, prompting development of adaptive, quantum-inspired affect models and personalized musical-dialogue strategies for sustained companionship.