The Illusion of Intimacy: Protecting children from a digitalized childhood
Anthropomorphic AI systems — including companions and chatbots — are among the most urgent and least understood risks of digitalised childhood. Designed to exploit attachment, foster emotional dependence, and maximise engagement, they pose serious developmental risks to children. Despite growing awareness of AI's harms, understanding of the socio-emotional consequences these chatbots pose to children's development remains limited — and so do the solutions.
This event aims to bring clarity to the problem and spotlight existing solutions from experts working across legislation, industry, and community: some addressing the harms of anthropomorphic AI directly, others supporting offline alternatives that build purposeful resilience and deep commitment. The aim is to platform what already exists, to encourage and advance change.
12:00 - 12:30 | Arrival and registration, light lunch served
12:30 - 15:30 | Presentations and panel discussions
Featuring keynote remarks from:
Dr. Sherry Turkle, Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology at MIT
Dr. Zachary Stein, Founder, AI Psychological Research Coalition
Fireside chats with:
- Dr. Mitch Prinstein, Senior Science Advisor of the American Psychological Association; John Van Seters Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and Co-Director of the Winston Center at University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
- Camille Carlton, Senior Director of Strategy and Impact at the Center for Humane Technology
- Brendan Bouffard, Associate General Counsel for AI and Privacy at Fairplay
- Gaia Bernstein, Seton Hall Law Professor, Author, and Non-Resident Fellow at Brookings Institution
- Andrew Freedman, Co-Founder and CEO at Fathom
- Julie Scelfo, Founder and Executive Director, Mothers Against Media Addiction (MAMA)
- Alana Officer, Unit Head, Health Promotion, Social and Economic Determinants, Urban Health and Behavioural Insights Unit at the World Health OrganizationAdditional speakers to be announced soon
15:30 - 16:00 | Networking