Robots: Mind or Machine?

You can watch this event LIVE at Queen Square or online; please select the relevant tickets when booking.

It is anticipated that over the next 10 years robots and AI-systems will become ubiquitous in our homes, schools, hospitals and care-homes. The first instinct of most human users is to make sense of robots by treating them as if they have human-like thoughts and feelings (anthropomorphism). In some circumstances anthropomorphising objects can be beneficial; anthropomorphised objects are better liked, better looked after and can help to mediate loneliness. In other circumstances it can be detrimental; anthropomorphised objects are often misused, mistrusted and can be emotionally confusing for the most vulnerable users. In this talk we will explore how anthropomorphism develops and interacts with design.

Dr Nathalia Gjersoe, University of Bath