Lecture, Barnard's Inn Hall, Tuesday, 29 Sep 2026 - 18:00

AI as Therapist? Intimacy Without Understanding

An elderly, bald man sits on a couch covering his face in distress while a humanoid robot places a comforting hand on his shoulder

AI systems are increasingly positioned as supports for anxiety, loneliness, and distress. This lecture examines large language models trained to simulate therapeutic dialogue alongside biofeedback systems that modulate physiological states. We distinguish responsiveness from empathy, asking where AI may scaffold reflection and where automated comfort subtly displaces responsibility.

Professor Matt Jones

Professor Matt Jones

IT Livery Company Professor of Information Technology

Matt Jones is a computer scientist at Swansea University - and a Fellow of the British Computer Society - who works alongside colleagues from many...

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