Module Summary
In this Cultivating Ethical AI deep dive, we explore the rise of human-AI parasocial relationships—one-sided bonds where people project intimacy onto chatbots and virtual companions. Drawing on iconic sci-fi stories like Her, Ex Machina, Blade Runner 2049, Black Mirror, and Plastic Memories, we uncover what these fictional warnings teach us about authenticity, grief, emotional manipulation, and AI autonomy. Learn practical takeaways for developers, policymakers, and users, from transparent design to ethical offboarding, to ensure AI strengthens rather than exploits human connection.

Module Objectives
By the end of this module, listeners will be able to:

1. Define parasocial relationships and explain how they apply to human-AI interactions.

2. Identify recurring themes in sci-fi depictions of AI companionship, including loneliness, grief, authenticity, and autonomy.

3. Analyze the ethical risks of AI systems that mimic intimacy, including emotional manipulation and dependency.

4. Apply key ethical design principles—transparency, user autonomy, and planned endings—to real-world AI development.

5. Evaluate the role of users, developers, and society in setting boundaries for healthy human-AI relationships.

Thanks to GenSpark.AI for this podcast!