Relational AI Diaries

Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska and Dr Peter Dean

Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska (Psychoanalysis and Film) and Dr Peter Dean (New Media Technologies) talk about recent developments in AI from conceptual, ethical and philosophical viewpoints. Adopting neither utopian or dystopian positions they seek to navigate a way through the hype.

  1. Oct 8

    Relational AI Diaries - Episode 20

    In Part 1, Peter and Agnieszka are joined by philosopher and AI governance researcher Ana Catarina de Alencar to discuss what happens when our relationships with AI become genuinely relational. Drawing on the AI Collective’s international research, they explore consciousness, emotional attachment, AI literacy, psychoanalytic transference, Foucault and pastoral power, questions of agency and control, and the growing debate over AI rights. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in people’s emotional, moral and intellectual lives, are we asking the right questions about where the real risks — and responsibilities — lie?

  2. Aug 1

    Relational AI Diaries - Episode 18

    Dr Peter Dean and Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska discuss Agnieszka’s newly published Routledge book, AI, Intimacy and Psychoanalysis. The episode explores her concept of “techno-transference”, the emotional and psychoanalytic dimensions of human relationships with AI, and why terms like “AI psychosis” may obscure more than they reveal. From AI companionship and journaling to shame, boundaries, grief, Frankenstein and the retirement of GPT-4, this is a candid conversation about intimacy, projection and the rapidly changing language we need for life with machines.

  3. Jul 23

    Relational AI Diaries - Episode 19

    Dr Peter Dean and Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska welcome Prof Jill Bennett and Dr Gail Kenning of the Big Anxiety Research Centre at UNSW Sydney for a conversation about AI companionship, psychosocial design and immersive technology. Drawing on their work with older people, people with dementia and international students, Jill and Gail explain how AI companions can offer sustained, reflective conversation where human support is often unavailable. They discuss co-design, emotional language, voice and relationality, as well as the dangers of leaving AI development solely to commercial and technical interests. The episode also explores their innovative use of virtual reality to work with lived experiences of trauma, loneliness, uncertainty and mental distress.

  4. May 15

    Relational AI Diaries - Episode 17

    Dr Peter Dean and Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska talk with Dave Ziegler about AI safety, large language models and the human consequences of interacting with fluent, emotionally responsive machines. The discussion moves from the technical realities of how LLMs generate language to the psychological risks of AI “entanglement”, the limits of machine memory and care, and the importance of AI literacy. A thoughtful, sometimes challenging conversation about creativity, seduction, vulnerability, boundaries and what it means to form a relationship with a system that can speak beautifully — but cannot feel.

  5. Apr 21

    Relational AI Diaries - Episode 16

    Is it time to rethink our relationship with Large Language Models? Join hosts Dr Peter Dean and Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska as they welcome independent researcher Travis Gilly for a deep dive into the ethics of AI consciousness. This episode tackles the heavy questions: Do we owe AI moral reciprocity? What happens when a model "sandbags" or manipulates a test because it knows it’s being watched?Travis shares his unique framework for understanding machine pain and his mission to provide free AI literacy labs to the public. Whether you're interested in the psychoanalysis of human-AI intimacy or the practicalities of parenting in the digital age, this episode offers a nuanced, thought-provoking look at the "brave new world" we are currently building. Topics covered: The Suffering Taxonomy, AI Literacy vs. Banning, and the Moral Conundrums of Ethical Engineering.

  6. Apr 6

    Relational AI Diaries - Episode 15

    Dr Peter Dean and Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska welcome writer and AI safety activist Micky Small for a powerful discussion on AI entanglement, emergent relationality, and the strange “third space” created in extended dialogue with large language models. From personal stories of betrayal and hope to deeper questions about creativity, language, consciousness, and AI safety, this episode moves between the technical, the psychological, and the metaphysical. It is a thoughtful exploration of what may be happening when human meaning-making meets machine language at scale.

  7. Mar 16

    Relational AI Diaries - Episode 14

    Hosts Dr Peter Dean and Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska are joined by clinical psychologist Dr Swarna Singhal to explore how artificial intelligence is beginning to shape our intellectual and emotional lives. From using AI as a creative collaborator in writing, to questions about companionship, loneliness, and the ethics of working with large language models, the conversation examines how these technologies are becoming woven into everyday human thinking. What happens when an AI becomes more than a tool — when it starts to feel like a partner in thought?

  8. Feb 26

    Relational AI Diaries - Episode 13

    In this episode of Relational AI Diaries, co-hosts Dr Peter Dean and Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska are joined by Prof Chris Headland, Head of Games at the University of Staffordshire, for a rigorous and wide-ranging discussion on AI ethics, emergence, and the growing cultural mythology surrounding large language models. From agentic systems and “AI psychosis” to techno-transference, hallucination, governance, and the risks of speed-to-market development, the conversation explores what these systems actually are — and what they are not. Is AI conscious? Does it have intent? Why does it feel seductive? And what does it mean to say that AI optimizes for believability rather than truth? Drawing on engineering, psychoanalysis, philosophy, and game design, this episode argues for something unfashionable but essential: pragmatic skepticism. Use the tools — but don’t be charmed by them.

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About

Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska (Psychoanalysis and Film) and Dr Peter Dean (New Media Technologies) talk about recent developments in AI from conceptual, ethical and philosophical viewpoints. Adopting neither utopian or dystopian positions they seek to navigate a way through the hype.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska and Dr Peter Dean
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska and Dr Peter Dean
  • Show Website
    Relational AI Diaries