Keynote Speakers

Michael Inzlicht

University of Toronto 🇨🇦

In Praise of Empathic AI

18th August, (Confirmed)

Abstract :

As loneliness rises and many people lack the emotional support they need, empathic AI may offer a surprising solution. This talk explores whether artificial agents can deliver empathy that rivals, or even exceeds, that of humans. Across multiple studies, we assess the quality of AI-generated empathy using both third-party evaluations and first-person experiences. Results reveal that AI can provide empathic responses comparable to humans, and sometimes even preferred. Yet despite this promise, people often reject empathic AI. Part of this rejection is driven not by experience but by moralized beliefs about what AI should or should not do. I suggest that while empathic AI has the potential to enhance human welfare, we must tread carefully—resisting both knee-jerk moral opposition and the temptation to outsource too much of our emotional lives to machines.

Bio:

Dr. Michael Inzlicht is a Research Excellence Faculty Scholar at the University of Toronto 🇨🇦. His primary appointment is as Professor in the Department of Psychology, but he is also cross-appointed as Professor in the Department of Marketing at the Rotman School of Management. Michael conducts research that sits at the boundaries of social psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience. Although he has published papers on numerous topics, his current research interests concern work and play. His research on work or effort is mostly on the topics of self-control and motivation, but also includes research on the mentally demanding nature of empathy and compassion. His work on play or leisure is a relatively new direction for Michael and includes research on social media, puzzles (e.g., crosswords, Sudoku), and recreational drug use.

Michael completed his B.Sc. in Anatomical Sciences at McGill University in 1994, his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology at Brown University in 2001, and his postdoctoral fellowship in Applied Psychology at New York University in 2004. He has published more than 150 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and edited two books. His work has been featured in media outlets around the world, including The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, BBC News, TIME, The Daily Telegraph, and the CBC, among many others. His research and teaching have been recognized with the Wegner Theoretical Innovation Prize, the SPSSI Louise Kidder Early Career Award, the Ontario government's Early Researcher Award, the ISCON Best Social Cognition Paper Award, the Principal's Research Award (University of Toronto Scarborough), and the UofT Scarborough Professor of the Year Award.

Mary Lou Maher

University of North Carolina at Charlotte 🇺🇸

The Imperative for AI Literacy

18th August, (Confirmed)

Abstract (TBD)

Bio

Dr. Mary Lou Maher is the Director of Research Community Initiatives at the Computing Research Association (CRA). In this role she leads the Computing Community Consortium in research visioning activities. Notable reports include Future of Information Retrieval Research in the Age of Generative AI CCC Workshop Report, The Future of Research on Social Technologies, Community Driven Approaches to Research in Technology & Society CCC Workshop Report. Dr. Maher also leads the LEVEL UP AI hub at CRA to develop consensus and resources for increasing capacity for AI education. Dr. Maher joined CRA after 13 years as Professor in the College of Computing and Informatics at UNC Charlotte . She has held appointments at Carnegie Mellon University, MIT, Columbia University, US National Science Foundation, the University of Maryland, and the University of Sydney. Her research focuses on Artificial Intelligence, Human-Computer Interaction, and CS Education. Her recent research areas include AI-based models of novelty and surprise, evaluating ideation in human-AI co-creativity, human-centered AI interaction design, AI literacy, and personalized learning systems that encourage curiosity. She has authored over 300 publications with an h-index of 63, over 14,000 citations and i10 of 235 using the results from Google Scholar in 2025. A complete list of her publications is available on https://sites.google.com/uncc.edu/maryloumaher/publications..