Enterprise AI Analysis
The Dynamics of Personal Autonomy: A Comprehensive Framework for Evaluating Human-Carebot Interactions
Linus Ta-Lun Huang, Tzu-Wei Hung, Ying-Tung Lin • Published online: 17 October 2025
Carebots are robots developed to assist users within healthcare contexts. The current literature on carebots and their impacts on autonomy has standardly discussed only some components of autonomy rather than offering a comprehensive analy- sis. In this paper, we propose a more thorough framework. This framework applies Catriona Mackenzie's multidimensional account of autonomy to factors in human- robot interactions that significantly affect personal autonomy. We show, through examining existing carebots with this framework, that their impacts on autonomy are indeed multifaceted. We also argue that their impacts are dynamical in struc- ture, where promoting some conditions of autonomy results in diminishing others or even at the expense of others. One implication of our analysis is that this frame- work can and should be applied to assess the impacts of carebots upon autonomy at the designing phase, as well as when we consider adopting their use in different contexts.
Executive Impact Summary
This analysis synthesizes key findings on carebot impacts on personal autonomy within healthcare, highlighting the need for a nuanced, multidimensional approach in design and deployment.
3
Autonomy Dimensions Analyzed
7
HRI Factors for Autonomy
3
Key Ethical Tradeoffs Identified
Deep Analysis & Enterprise Applications
Select a topic to dive deeper, then explore the specific findings from the research, rebuilt as interactive, enterprise-focused modules.
Ethical Considerations for Autonomy in AI Care
This paper introduces Catriona Mackenzie's multidimensional account of personal autonomy, critical for evaluating carebot impacts. It decomposes autonomy into three dimensions: self-governance (competence, authenticity), self-determination (freedom, opportunity), and self-authorization (accountability, self-evaluative attitudes, social recognition). The framework reveals how carebots can both promote and undermine different autonomy conditions, often leading to dynamic tradeoffs. For instance, promoting competence can inadvertently threaten freedom or authenticity due to surveillance or embedded biases, requiring careful ethical design and regulation.
Optimizing Human-Carebot Collaboration
The framework identifies seven key factors in human-robot interaction (HRI) influencing autonomy: relational roles, technology, individualization, behavioral shaping, dependence, balancing interests, and transparency. Carebots are categorized as Cognitive Assistance Robots (CARs), Physical Assistance Robots (PARs), and Social Assistance Robots (SARs). The analysis shows how these HRI factors interact with carebot design and usage to create complex impacts on user autonomy, from enhancing capabilities to introducing new forms of manipulation or dependence. Transparency, in particular, is highlighted as crucial for mitigating negative impacts.
3 Dimensions
of Personal Autonomy Framework
The paper leverages Catriona Mackenzie's multidimensional account, identifying Self-governance, Self-determination, and Self-authorization as critical for a comprehensive assessment of carebot impacts on users.
Enterprise Process Flow
Introduce Mackenzie's Multidimensional Autonomy
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Identify Key Human-Robot Interaction Factors
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Apply Framework to Existing Carebots
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Analyze Dynamic Tradeoffs (Promotion vs. Diminishment)
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Propose Design & Policy Assessment Guidance
| Condition\type | Cognitive Assistance Robot (CAR) | Physical Assistance Robot (PAR) | Social Assistance Robot (SAR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Competence | Promoted | No significant direct impacts | No significant direct impacts |
| Authenticity | No significant direct impacts | No significant direct impacts | No significant direct impacts |
| Freedom | Diminished | Diminished | Diminished |
| Opportunity | Promoted | Promoted | Promoted |
| Accountability | Promoted indirectly (via increased competence and opportunity conditions) | Promoted indirectly (via increased opportunity conditions) | Promoted indirectly (via increased opportunity conditions) |
| Self-evaluative attitudes | Promoted | Promoted indirectly (via increased opportunity conditions) | Promoted indirectly (via increased opportunity conditions) |
| Social recognition | Promoted indirectly (via increased competence and opportunity conditions) | Promoted indirectly (via increased opportunity conditions) | Promoted indirectly (via increased opportunity conditions) |
Future Carebots & Autonomy Tradeoffs: The Woebot 2.0 Scenario
The paper introduces a hypothetical Woebot 2.0, an advanced Cognitive Assistance Robot (CAR) designed for sophisticated psychological counseling. While Woebot 2.0 could significantly enhance a user's authenticity conditions by helping them reflect on and clarify their core beliefs and motives, this comes at a potential cost to freedom conditions. To achieve deep psychological insights, Woebot 2.0 would require continuous collection and analysis of extensive personal data, including subtle emotional cues and digital footprints. This raises serious privacy concerns and could lead to feelings of surveillance, self-censorship, and manipulation, particularly if commercial interests influence data utilization. The ethical challenge lies in balancing the deep personalization needed for authenticity with the protection of fundamental freedoms.
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