AI Robots and Moral Dilemmas: The Role of AI Robots' Gender and Dilemma Types

Gendering AI robots to enhance acceptance raises unexplored moral implications. Four studies (N = 1236) revealed distinct moral evaluation patterns for gendered AI robots versus humans in moral dilemmas. In trolley dilemmas, female AI robots showed greater decision permissibility than their male counterparts, mediated by perceived warmth enhancing their humanization. Both gendered robots faced lower permissibility than trolley dilemmas in the footbridge dilemma. Moral acceptance varied by dilemma type: robots' decisions aligned with deontological principles were preferred in instrumental dilemmas, while gender-specific evaluations emerged in incidental dilemmas - utilitarian choices from male robots and deontological choices from female robots gained higher acceptance. These results demonstrate that artificial gender assignments systematically influence moral evaluation frameworks. These insights have important implications for the design of AI robots and contribute to a deeper understanding of the societal impacts of gendering AI robots.