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Social robots and other technologies designed to engage in social interactions with their users increasingly enter our everyday environments. Dealing with conceptual and practical challenges, related to these developments, requires an understanding of these technologies as new types of social actors. However, despite the substantial research effort in HRI and related fields, many basic questions about the meaning of 'social actors' in the case of technological artifacts largely remain open. In this paper, we argue that a potential way to address the questions is avoiding essentialist assumptions about the nature of technological artifacts as social actors. Instead, we propose focusing on contextual framing of artifacts, that is, on how people perceive the artifacts as embedded in meaningful social contexts. In line with this proposition, we call for the development of conceptual and methodological tools that allow researchers to systematically address contextual framing. To illustrate potential directions for this development, we propose tentative versions of two analytical tools: (1) a conceptual model of robot-mediated collaboration, and (2) a set of analytical dimensions specifically focusing on contextual framing of technological agents.

This study leverages a critical provocation design approach to examine user interactions with intelligent agents, specifically focusing on how non-conventional agent behaviours impact user perceptions. By embedding playful, challenging, and mischievous elements into the user experience, the research aims to uncover insights traditional methods might miss. Participants interacted with a trivia game agent named Trivia Friend, which provided false feedback to provoke reactions and gain insights on user perceptions. Key findings highlight the emotional spectrum elicited by the agent’s behaviour, ranging from frustration and mistrust to amusement and engagement. The study reveals that user perceptions of fairness and communication style are influenced by the agent’s provocations. Furthermore, the research underscores the importance of managing user expectations. A provocative design can stimulate engagement. However, real world implementations of intelligent agents must be designed with fairness and transparency to ensure positive user experiences. The study calls for efforts towards emotional understanding, clear communication, and ethical considerations when implementing socially capable intelligent agents. This research contributes to the development of adaptive, user-friendly, and ethically sound intelligent AI based agents by offering valuable insights into the complex dynamics of human-agent interactions.