The Program in Science, Technology, and Society invites you to the annual Arthur Miller Lecture in Science and Ethics on Monday, October 26^th from 4:00-5:30 pm in the MIT Welcome Center for a panel lecture titled “Artificial Companions: What AI Toys Mean for the Future of Childhood.” The panel features Professor Mimi Ito, Director of the Connected Learning Lab, Professor Sherry Turkle, Founding Director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, and Mike Rizkalla, CEO & Founder of Snorble, a technology company that designs interactive, screen-free smart companion devices for children.

Join us for a discussion on how chatbots are shaping the ways children perceive human connection and care. By bringing together panelists from academia and industry, the event will consider the relationship of AI to child development and the social and ethical concerns it raises. AI might serve as a tool to amplify play, learning, and community if designed around child agency and authentic social bonds. Or it may present a danger to children, who lack defenses against mistaking pretend connection for real care. Perhaps it provides a chance to strengthen families and communities by giving parents respite or offering lonely children companionship. Together, the panelists will explore how AI is entering spaces of play and how the increased presence of chatbots in toys is changing the experience of childhood.

Please RSVP here if you plan to attend in person; we hope to see you there!