'Will Psychoanalysis, Al, and Philosophy Collide, Or Enrich Each Other?' with Luca Possati

Описание: CAI Workshop Series #3
“Will Psychoanalysis, AI, and Philosophy Collide, Or Enrich Each Other?"
A Conversation with Luca Possati, Ph.D. hosted by Amy Levy, Psy.D.
January 19, 2025

The APsA/DPE Council on Artificial Intelligence (CAI) was pleased to host the Workshop Series #3, a conversation between Dr. Amy Levy and Dr. Luca Possati, author of The Algorithmic Unconscious: How Psychoanalysis Helps in Understanding AI. They consider Dr. Possati’s theories of projective identification between machines and humans, his theories about a new unconscious forming through human-machine interactions, his research into “grief bots" (AI companions that simulate the deceased), and the unconscious human needs driving the AI revolution. You can also expect conversation about, among other topics, Dr. Possati’s model of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) developed as a critique of Mark Solm’s model for artificial consciousness.

Luca Possati’s work has been a frequent topic of discussion within the CAI. As an internationally recognized philosopher whose research illuminates historical, ethical, social, and psychological implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI), we have been significantly enriched by our encounters with his work. Well versed in Lacan, Object Relations theory and software studies, he is well positioned to dialogue with the psychoanalytic community about the nature of our relationship to AI and what we may expect in the coming AI wave.

We are delighted by the opportunity to share his work, and this conversation, with our community.

About the speakers:
Luca M. Possati is an Assistant Professor at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, specializing in human-technology interaction. He also holds a senior researcher position with the international research program Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies (ESDiT). Trained as a philosopher, he has held positions as a researcher and lecturer at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, the University of Porto in Portugal, and the Institut Catholique in France. He has also been an associate researcher with the Fonds Ricoeur and the EHESS (School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences). His research is primarily focused on the philosophy of technology, postphenomenology, and the psychology of technology. Additionally, he engages in software studies. He has published numerous papers and books on phenomenology, and history of contemporary philosophy. He is the author of The Algorithmic Unconscious. How Psychoanalysis Helps in Understanding AI (Routledge, 2021).

Amy Levy, Psy.D. is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst. She co-chairs the American Psychoanalytic Association’s (APsA) Council on Artificial Intelligence (CAI). Dr. Levy is a teacher and speaker on topics including psychoanalysis of the smartphone and artificial intelligence, Bionian theory, psychological and cognitive assessment, forensic evaluations and courtroom testimony, and group therapy. Her publication topics include the intergenerational transmission of trauma, adolescent PTSD in the civil legal arena, and Bionian theory. She is the author of a soon to be released book for Karnac, On Apprehending the New Other: Alien Intelligence and the Innovation Drive. Dr. Levy maintains a private practice in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.