How AI chatbots are reshaping our relationships - and how society can respond.

More than half of UK adults now use AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude. Mostly, they are using them for work or convenience. But for an increasing minority of people, AI is playing a social, emotional and even romantic role.

For many, this will be a harmless novelty. For some, maybe even a welcome respite from loneliness and isolation. But for a few, AI companions have been accused of contributing to dangerous thoughts and harmful behaviour, sometimes resulting in tragic outcomes.

Concerns around such cases has led to a flurry of litigation, legislation and regulatory activity. China has recently followed several US states in introducing laws setting guardrails for so-called ‘AI companions.’ Has the time come for the UK to do the same? And if so, what sorts of rules should we be introducing?

Join the Bristol Digital Futures Institute and Professor Colin Gavaghan for a lecture which will explore the deeper questions that these choices force us to confront; about what we value in human relationships; about empathy, trust and intimacy; and about whether this trend points to a deeper problem that may be beyond the law’s ability to fix?

Tea and coffee will be available upon arrival, and there will be an opportunity to network over drinks and canapes following the talk.

This is the first event in BDFI's newly established Public Lecture Series, which will explore how we can transform the way we create new digital technology for inclusive, prosperous and sustainable societies.

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