Robôs sociáveis e organizações em maturação: o processo de criação de ‘chatbots’ no contexto comercial

Abstract

This master thesis aims to analyze the process of creating chatbots for the commercial environment. Chatbots are computer programming technologies developed for interaction with the user. Based on a pragmatist approach, the work focuses on understanding the moral metaphysics that guide the evaluative principles of the responsible specialists and on the characteristics of the relationship of these agents in their work routine. By deploying the technique of semi-structured interviews with experts, it was possible to understand that they justify their evaluative principles by mobilizing a metaphysics about whom this end-user is - abstraction proved variable among different professionals. These multiple evaluative principles are deployed in order to create productive dissonances capable of assisting in debugging the best decision in technology design. In this way, the research promotes a study of the organization around creating chatbots to understand how this technical context impacts the development of these technologies. This effort concluded that: (a) chatbots are the result of a compromise agreement between multiple moral metaphysics and that this heterogeneous character is beneficial for their commercial purpose; (b) this benefit is due to the hybrid character of the organization which, based on Neff and Stark, I describe as employing aspects of both 'permanently beta' organizations and traditional organizations; (c) these specialists design technologies based on the incorporation of friendly sociability, produced through emotional openness with the user, which helps to define a situation favoring reciprocity with the user. Finally, to analyze this field, I propose the concept of maturing organizations to describe organizations that benefit from this hybrid character. I also suggest the concept of sociable robots, social bots created to friendly socialize with the user.