University of Glasgow pioneers social robot to aid refugee and asylum seeker integration in Scotland

Rawan Srour-Zreik leads a focus group with CWIN service users

(IN BRIEF) The University of Glasgow is developing a social robot to support refugees and asylum seekers in Scotland by providing spoken guidance in their native languages. Built on the Furhat Robotics platform and co-designed with Syrian refugees in partnership with the Central & West Integration Network, the robot currently communicates in Arabic and English and could soon expand to Kurdish and Persian. Led by PhD researcher Shaul Ashkenazi at the Social AI CDT, the project aims to reduce barriers such as language difficulties and lack of access to information about essential services. The findings will be presented at the 2025 International Conference on Social Robotics + AI in Naples, with the team highlighting the robot’s potential to enhance integration and provide inclusive support for displaced communities.

(PRESS RELEASE) GLASGOW, 8-Sep-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — Researchers at the University of Glasgow are pioneering a new AI-powered social robot designed to help displaced people integrate into Scottish society by providing information and guidance in their native languages. The initiative, led by specialists in human-robot interaction and linguistics, is being developed in close collaboration with the Central & West Integration Network (CWIN), a Glasgow-based charity supporting refugees and asylum seekers.

The project uses a Furhat Robotics platform – a robot head capable of listening to questions and delivering spoken responses. Currently able to interact in both Modern Standard Arabic and English, the system could be expanded to include other languages and deliver tailored information on essential services such as food banks, libraries, and healthcare providers.

Shaul Ashkenazi, a PhD student at the University’s UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in Socially Intelligent Artificial Agents (Social AI CDT), is leading the development. Drawing on his two years of volunteer experience with CWIN, Ashkenazi has co-designed the prototype with refugees and asylum seekers to ensure it addresses their real-world needs. Nine Syrian participants took part in focus groups and user testing, offering valuable insights into the challenges of housing, language barriers, and navigating complex support systems.

“Our research shows that there is openness to using social robots and real potential for them to provide meaningful support,” said Ashkenazi. “By enabling access to services in their own language and reducing the embarrassment that sometimes comes with asking for help face-to-face, this technology can make integration smoother. Based on community feedback, we are already working to expand the robot’s capabilities to include Sorani Kurdish and Persian.”

The team will present its findings at the 2025 International Conference on Social Robotics + AI in Naples, Italy, in a paper titled ‘Participatory Design for Human-Robot Interaction with Syrian Refugees and Asylum Seekers’. Co-authors include Professor Jane Stuart-Smith and Dr Mary Ellen Foster of the University of Glasgow, alongside Professor Gabriel Skantze of Furhat and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden.

Florence Dioka of CWIN welcomed the project, noting: “The ability of the robot to speak directly to our community members in their native languages will help them access essential services and navigate life in Scotland more confidently.”

The prototype is believed to be the first of its kind co-designed with refugees and asylum seekers, marking a significant step in applying AI and robotics to socially inclusive innovation.

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SOURCE: University of Glasgow