kümmertest

Kümmertest is a neologism used in discussions of human–machine interaction and social robotics to denote an informal or proposed evaluation of a system's tendency or capacity to care for users. The term combines the German verb kümmern (to care) with the English suffix -test, signaling a cross-cultural blend common in AI ethics discourse.

Kümmertest aims to capture whether a caregiver-oriented AI or robot demonstrates behavior that genuinely prioritizes user welfare beyond procedural compliance. Proponents argue that such a test could complement traditional performance metrics by focusing on affective and relational aspects of care, such as responsiveness to distress, anticipation of needs, and respect for autonomy and dignity.

Proposed approaches to a kümmertest vary. Some suggest scenario-based evaluations in which agents must navigate ethically charged caregiving tasks; others advocate longitudinal studies of real users with welfare and trust metrics; others propose third-party audits of decision processes to determine alignment with welfare goals. Because the concept is not standardized, different groups may operationalize it differently.

Critics warn that the term risks anthropomorphizing machines or conflating convincing behavior with genuine care. They also note challenges in measuring welfare, consent, and emotional impact, and warn against deception or reassurance without substance. Nevertheless, kümmertest appears in critical and speculative discussions as a thought experiment to probe what it would mean for machines to act in the best interests of people under care scenarios.

See also: Turing test, care ethics, affective computing, social robotics, human–robot interaction.