Can there really be ethical robots for autistic children?

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Elmadagli, C. (2026). Can there really be ethical robots for autistic children? AI & SOCIETY. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-026-03372-4

Publication date: 26 Sep 2026 Added to AutiHub: 28 Sep 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
1
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 1 (100.0%)
  1. Cansu Elmadagli *

Abstract

Abstract With the advancement of autonomous technologies such as AI-driven social robots, the academic discussions around ethical standards have intensified over the years. These discussions have resulted in increased emphasis on concepts such as safety, trust, privacy, human dignity and well-being along with variety of ethical frameworks proposed by scholars. In parallel with these technological developments, therapeutic interventions for autistic children assisted by AI and social robots have also attracted increased attention. Against this backdrop, this paper critically examines six social robotics projects funded under the EU’s Horizon 2020 initiative from an ethics perspective. The main aim of these completed projects was to develop AI-driven semi-autonomous technologies such as humanoid and non-humanoid robots to assist autism interventions. To address the ethical shortcomings of the said projects, this paper mobilizes perspectives from critical disability studies, critical autism studies and the autism community itself, particularly concerning the negative impact of interventions on autistic individuals as a neurominority group. Beyond the commonly addressed shortcomings in the field of AI and social robotics, the article highlights that the biggest shortcoming of these projects is the absence of critical reflection on the ethical acceptability of applying neuronormative behavioral interventions to a neurominority group. By situating robot-assisted interventions within the context of normalization and technoableism, the article points out the epistemic injustice and the harm that can be potentially enacted on autistic people through such technologically aided interventions. Ultimately, the paper questions whether ethical assistive technologies for autistic individuals can exist under these circumstances.

Bibliography cited by this reference

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Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 2 Oct 2026 07:50.

Cited references
141
With a DOI
110
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
31
26 / 141 (18.4%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
18 / 141 (12.8%)
References with detected author names
129 / 141 (91.5%)
Without detected author names
12
Without a structured title
18
Without a stable identifier
31
References with raw author names still to review
12
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
428
From DOI or external metadata
428
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
16
142 / 428 (33.2%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 286 / 428 (66.8%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
39 / 428 (9.1%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 39 / 142 (27.5%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 27 / 353 (7.6%).
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