Why we place too much trust in machines

Why we place too much trust in machines Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images If we are to adopt self-driving vehicles it will require people to trust the technology entirely – will that be a good thing? Reuters/Alamy A zoo in Japan tried to teach its chimpanzees to use a vending machine by watching children – such interactions with technology are entirely built on trust In a recent experiment, researchers set up an apparatus in which chimpanzees at a sanctuary in Kenya could pull on a rope to retrieve a food reward. You'd probably be livid It's called "betrayal aversion" says Haux: "The fear of being duped by another human, which is thought to cause stronger emotions." The chimpanzees stopped discriminating between the social and non-social options – they no longer seemed to trust the machine more than the fellow chimpanzee.