Watch the recording here.

Zoom link.

Date: May 8

Time: 2 p.m.

Location: KEC 1001

Abstract:

The formation of relationships with imaginary entities, inanimate artifacts, and emergent technologies is not a new phenomenon- it has well established roots in our human story. Throughout recorded history, humans have documented relationships we develop with entities that exist only in the realms of the human psyche. The rise of large language models (LLMs) starting in the mid-20th century brings the relationships we invent for ourselves to the forefront of our collective consciousness. Are relationships with AI chatbots made possible by LLMs “real” and culturally meaningful? How do these relationships form? And how might these relationships impact our lives, now and in the future? In this presentation, Dr. Naomi Aguiar will share a brief history of our relationships with technological companions and nascent AI systems. Drawing on parasocial relationship theory (Horton & Wohl, 1956), attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969) and the General Theory of Virtual Reality (Blascovich & Bailenson, 2011), she will also discuss the psychological mechanisms that drive us to form emotional bonds with LLMs and the qualities that make up these relationships. Finally, Dr. Aguiar will discuss some of the benefits and risks of these relationships, and how design choices and market incentives can affect the societal impacts of LLMs on our social bonds.

Bio:

Naomi Aguiar has expertise in how children and adults think about and form relationships with AI chatbots, and how these relationships can impact real world learning and behavior. She has also written extensively about imaginary relationships children and adults create for themselves- either totally on their own, or with help from media. Naomi holds a doctorate in psychology from the University of Oregon and currently serves as the associate director of research at Oregon State University Ecampus. In her role at Ecampus, Naomi conducts collaborative research in online teaching and learning. In her independent research, Naomi has published on a broad range of topics in Psychology and Education, including child and adult perceptions of AI characters, children's relationships with imaginary friends and media characters, and how children can learn from AI characters. Her most recent independent publication, Imaginary Friends and the People Who Create Them, is a book co-authored with Marjorie Taylor and published by Oxford University Press.