Humanizing Human-Robot Interaction: On the Importance of Mutual Understanding

In conjunction with what is often called the industry 4.0, the new machine age, or the rise of the robots, the authors of this paper have each experienced the following phenomenon. At public events and roundtable discussions, among our circles of friends, or during interviews with the media, we are asked on a surprisingly regular basis: "How must humankind adapt to the imminent process of technological change? What do we have to learn in order to keep pace with the smart new machines? What new skills do we need to understand the robots?".