Thinking about What It Means to Be Human: A Qualitative Study of Self-Reflection Triggered by a Humanoid Robot

How people define humanness is a central concern in HRI, shaping expectations and acceptance of humanoid robots and requiring attention to both attribution processes and self-reflection. This qualitative study explores how a reflective interaction with Akira, a self-built humanoid robot, changes how people articulate what it means to be human and how they attribute psychological benchmarks (PBs) of humanness to it. N=27 participants engaged in an introspection-oriented conversation with Akira, followed by semi-structured interviews. Findings show that participants described humanness as a complex and multifaceted concept, considered such deep reflection a rare but meaningful occasion, and experienced Akira as a cognitive mirror prompting reconsideration of human uniqueness rather than perceiving the robot as more human-like. Participants attributed PBs to Akira, with privacy most commonly and moral accountability least commonly ascribed. This work contributes empirical evidence on how reflective human-robot encounters deepen humanness reasoning and how they can foster critical engagement.