Robotics Seminar: Emily Cross

Описание: On December 15, 2025, Emily Cross presented “Social robotics is not (just) about machines, it's about people: Psychology’s role in developing social machines” as part of the Michigan Robotics Seminar Series.

Abstract
Social robotics is a rapidly advancing field dedicated to the development of embodied artificial agents capable of social interaction with humans. These systems are deployed across domains such as healthcare, education, service, and entertainment—contexts that demand nuanced social competence. Yet, the “social” dimension of social robotics remains insufficiently conceptualized and empirically grounded. Many companies have failed as their robots struggle to sustain meaningful, long-term engagement with users. Understanding human responses to these agents requires robust psychological frameworks. While prior work has emphasized emotion expression and affective cues, human social interaction is shaped by broader constructs, including goals, roles, self-presentation, and culture. Generative AI is reshaping human–robot interaction but has yet to resolve foundational challenges in social engagement. Addressing these gaps necessitates deeper integration of psychological theory, methodology, and data. Deep and sustained dialogue between psychology and robotics holds promise not only for advancing socially adept machines but also for enriching our understanding of the human mind and behaviour.

Bio:
Emily S. Cross is a Professor of Cognitive and Social Neuroscience at ETH Zürich in Switzerland, where she leads the Social Brain Sciences Lab. She and her team explore fundamental questions related to social perception and interaction, with a particular focus on fostering and sustaining meaningful encounters between humans and artificial agents, and how aesthetics shapes our interactions with other humans and AI. After completing her PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience at Dartmouth College, she pursued postdoctoral training at the Max Planck Institute and has held faculty positions at Radboud University Nijmegen, Bangor University, University of Glasgow, and Macquarie and Western Sydney Universities. Emily also serves as a member of UNESCO’s International Bioethics Committee, where she has contributed to major reports surveying the ethical issues of emerging neurotechnologies and the mental health consequences of digital technologies for children and adolescents.

More:
Michigan Robotics Seminar Series: https://robotics.umich.edu/events/rob...
Emily Cross: https://gess.ethz.ch/en/the-departmen...