From Feed to Friend: The Emotional Architecture of AI

AI did not suddenly become emotional once it learned how to have a conversation. Recommender systems have shaped a range of feelings from FOMO to belonging to outrage. Now generative AI systems that remember and reassure add greater intimacy to the interaction.

Drawing on over a decade of research into technology and emotion, Pamela traces the shift from behavioral AI to relational AI. The talk will introduce a new framework for understanding the emotional mechanics at work in the design of AI systems (generative and otherwise) as well as the survival skills people develop in response. Attendees will leave with a practical way to recognize the emotional architecture of AI products, and with new ideas for designing systems that support human agency and wellbeing.