# Transforming customer experience in social robotics through explainable and interpretable artificial intelligence over a decade

## TL;DR

This paper reviews how explainable and interpretable AI has improved user and customer experiences in social robotics over the past decade.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive review of the evolution and impact of XAI and IAI in social robotics from 2015 to 2025.

## Key findings

- Early efforts focused on internal robot motivations and self-explanations to improve transparency.
- By the 2020s, user-centered approaches and autonomous social behavior became central in social robotics.
- By 2025, frameworks integrated UX/CX with ethical and societal considerations.

## Abstract

Over the past decade, the field of social robotics has witnessed significant advancements in enhancing user experience (UX) and customer experience (CX) through the integration of Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) and Interpretable Artificial Intelligence (IAI). This research presents a review that examines the progress made over a decade (2015–2025) in developing frameworks for social robotics and human-robot interaction (HRI) that prioritize transparency, trust, and user engagement. The journey began with early efforts to equip social robots with internal needs and motivations, forming the basis for understandable self-explanations. As the field progressed, there was a shift towards more user-centered approaches, autonomous social behavior, and self-explanations. By the early 2020s, researchers had begun to focus on the specific applications of XAI and IAI in social robotics. Past studies have shown that explainable and interpretable AI systems in social robots contributed to sustained user engagement and improved CX over extended periods. Currently, by 2025, the field has matured considerably, with researchers developing comprehensive frameworks that seamlessly integrated UX/CX considerations in social robotics with an emphasis on ethical considerations and societal implications. This research highlights how the past decade has seen remarkable progress in enhancing UX/CX in social robotics through XAI and IAI.