Robots vs Loneliness?
Social robots are on the rise. They're designed to interact with humans, learn from us, and combat our loneliness. These robots are presented as able to be our friends, companions, and even partners. Can they truly tackle loneliness, though? Or, given that they are machines rather than persons, do they risk making people feel lonelier than ever?
In this interactive event, a panel of experts from different fields discussed some of the priorities and risks of social robots. Audience members had the chance to ask the panel their questions and to participate in the debate.
The panel was comprised of:
- Prof Irena Papadopoulos (Professor of Transcultural Health and Nursing, Middlesex University; part of EU/Japan study on culturally-aware robots in healthcare)
- Dr Beth Singler (Research Associate, Cambridge University; Producer, 'Friend in the Machine' [YouTube])
- James Young (Presenter, 'Sex Robots and Us'; 'Can Robots Love Us?' [BBC])
- Dr David Cameron (Lecturer in Human-Computer Interaction, University of Sheffield)
A short preview of the event can be viewed below.
A full-length video recording of the event can be viewed below.