Your AI is not in love with you (no matter how much you love it) [Kate Devlin]

With millions of users on AI companion apps everyday, and millions more pouring their heartfelt feelings into ChatGPT, people are engaging emotionally with AI. For some, they are convinced that this love is a two-way thing, even while admitting they know that it’s just a piece of software. So why are folks falling in love with a machine? And is it a problem if they do? This talk will explore the surprisingly long cultural history of the artificial companion and the ramifications of our science fiction becoming fact.
Kate Devlin is Professor of Artificial Intelligence & Society at King’s College London where she leads the Digital Futures Institute. She is the author of Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots – a book that tells the story of technology and intimacy. Kate writes general audience pieces for a wide range of mainstream publications and regularly talks about AI and robots on podcasts and radio.