Sharing our Emotions with Robots

Dear colleagues and friends,

We are delighted to invite you to our first international seminar of the year, featuring

Dr. Guy Laban

 Date: November 3, 2025

 Time: 18:00–19:15 (Israel Standard Time)

 Location: Zoom

 Registration: https://tau-ac-il.zoom.us/meeting/register/UCKmR3nJScGJ0ZSGAbBo-A

Talk title:
Sharing our emotions with robots: why do we do it, and how does it make us feel?

Advances in conversational AI are transforming the social capabilities of artificial agents, from chatbots and virtual assistants to socially interactive robots, highlighting the importance of understanding the social and affective dynamics of human–agent interactions. In this talk, Dr. Laban will present his research on how artificial agents, particularly social robots, can cultivate meaningful and adaptive interactions that encourage self-expression and foster emotional well-being. He will present a series of experiments examining the complex dynamics of dialogue, self-disclosure, and emotion regulation in interactions with social robots and other artificial agents, demonstrating how users gradually adapt to these agents, become more open and expressive over time, and experience emotional benefits from such exchanges. These findings signify the potential of AI-driven agents to offer social and emotional support, while also prompting important ethical considerations. 

Dr. Guy Laban is an Assistant Professor (Senior Lecturer) at the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and a Research Associate in the Department of Computer Science and Technology at the University of Cambridge. He completed his PhD at the University of Glasgow as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow. Guy’s research explores how people communicate and share their emotions with artificial agents, how these agents understand and interact more effectively with humans, and how these interactions influence social dynamics and emotional well-being.

We look forward to seeing you there,

The Initiative for Responsible AI in Medicine 

Tel Aviv University