Can machines care? The Ethics of Human-Machine Interaction

Machines are increasingly taking on tasks that once belonged to the most intimate realms of human care. Care robots, assistive systems and social machines are entering sensitive spaces—places where closeness, empathy, and trust take shape.

- What happens when care becomes automated?
- What responsibilities do developers bear when algorithms simulate affection?
- And what does it mean for our society when people experience machine interaction as human?

Lisa Hegemann, Head of Digital at ZEIT, discusses these questions with Prof. Dr. Aimee van Wynsberghe, Alexander von Humboldt Professor of Applied Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. Together, they explore the ethical boundaries of automated care, the design of trustworthy AI systems, and the role of journalism in making these developments visible and understandable.

This conversation marks the conclusion of the conference “Reporting the Machines – Journalism and the Ethics of AI.”

If you already hold a conference ticket for the full Reporting the Machines programme, no additional ticket is required for this event.

The conference is supported by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media as part of the new Publix Tech Journalism Fellowship and is organised in cooperation with 1014 Germany and MIT Babelsberg.

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