Event

BRAID x IDI Hybrid Seminar – Andrew McStay

Click here to book your tickets for this hybrid event.

Empathic AI companions: moving fast and breaking people?

This talk examines the ethical challenges and societal implications of empathic AI companions, drawing on UK public attitudes and civil lawsuits against Character.ai. The lawsuit highlights critical design flaws, inadequate safeguards, and ethical dilemmas, especially the blurred boundaries between reality and fiction. Survey findings reveal demographic divides in familiarity and usage, but also shared concerns about privacy, emotional dependency, and the appropriateness of AI companions for children and older adults. While respondents recognise benefits such as reducing loneliness and aiding education, anthropomorphic design elements evoke mixed reactions, raising ethical questions about simulated emotion and inappropriate user deception. The talk advocates for age-appropriate design and stronger regulatory frameworks, emphasising the need for balanced policies to protect vulnerable populations while fostering creativity and responsible innovation. Actionable recommendations aim to guide policymakers, industry leaders, and scholars in addressing the ethical complexities of this emerging digital technology.

 

Bio

 

Andrew McStay is Professor of Technology & Society at Bangor University and the author of Automating Empathy: Decoding Technologies that Gauge Intimate Life, published open access in 2024 with Oxford University Press. His work explores the ethical implications of AI systems claimed empathise and understand emotion. Director of the Emotional AI Lab, his current projects include Responsible AI (RAI) funded work to diversify regional input into IEEE-based ethical technical standards for emulated empathy and human-AI partnering (IEEE P7014.1). Other recent work includes a project for the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada on child-focused emotional AI systems. He is also a technology advisory panel member for the UK’s Information Commissioners’ Office.

 

Running Order

16.00 – Welcome by Ewa Luger and Talk by Andrew McStay
16.40 – Q&A
17.00 – End

In-person: Inspace, 1 Crichton St, Newington, Edinburgh EH8 9AB
Online: Zoom

Please note limited seats are available at Inspace for in-person audiences, so please book tickets in advance. For those joining online please visit the online event page for the Zoom joining link and password.

For inquiries about accessibility, please contact the DI team at designinformatics@ed.ac.uk or visit the Access webpage for more information about the venue: https://inspace.ed.ac.uk/venue-access/


Inspace or Zoom