Exploring emotional connections to AI and the future of human-AI relationships

Interview with Dr. Julie Carpenter

Can you love a chatbot?

23.04.25

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TW: mention of suicide in this episode.  

This week, Tim had a conversation with social scientist Dr Julie Carpenter, where they explored emotional attachments to AI and the future of human-AI relationships.  

Dr. Julie Carpenter is an award-winning researcher in the field of human-technology interaction whose work investigates the dynamic interplay between technology and human identity, social relationships, and connection.  

Her recent book, The Naked Android: Synthetic Socialness and the Human Gaze, explores the narratives people construct about AI and robots, their expectations of robotic behaviour, and how these cultural beliefs influence the design and use of real-world robots. 

She is a Research Fellow in the Ethics + Emerging Sciences Group, a non-partisan organization dedicated to examining the ethical, social, and risk implications of emerging technologies. 

In this episode, we cover:  

  • How our emotional attachments to pets can help us understand the way we might bond with AI  

  • The difference between AI and robotics  

  • Real-world examples of how people have formed emotional attachments to military robots 

  • The ethical concerns surrounding human-AI relationships 

  • How our perspective of different brands can impact how we use AI 

  • What people are looking for when it comes to intimate AI relationships 

  • And Dr Carpenter’s thoughts on the future of AI 

Find Dr Julie Carpenter here:  

Website: jgcarpenter.com 
Bluesky: @jgcarpenter 
Mastodon: https://fediscience.org/@jgcarpenter 

Timestamps:  

00:00 – Trailer 

00:55 – Who is Dr Julie Carpenter? 

08:13 – How we form emotional attachments with pets, and how this relates to AI  

11:36 – What is the difference between AI and robotics?  

15:58 – Stories of emotional attachment to military robots 

25:14 – A short message from Sex in Space 

25:27 – Dr Carpenter’s thoughts on human-AI relationships 

29:49 – How brand association changes the way we use AI 

31:39 – What are the risks when it comes to using AI?  

35:21 – Ethical considerations of AI relationships 

45:41 – What are people looking for with intimate AI relationships?  

49:27 – Exploring consent when it comes to AI  

55:01 – Is Dr Carpenter optimistic about the future of AI?  

1:00:35 – Where to find more of Dr Julie Carpenter’s work 

 

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