Relational AI Diaries

peterjdean

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. 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.

    1h 12m

  2. 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.

    49 min

  3. 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.

    1h 12m

  4. 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?

    1h 1m

  5. 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.

    1h 4m

  6. Feb 9

    Relational AI Diaries - Episode 12

    Does an AI have a mind—or is that the wrong question entirely? In this episode of Relational AI Diaries, we discuss a recent philosophical debate on large language models, consciousness, and mental states, examining why reductive explanations fall short and why the ethical implications matter more than ever. Through careful dialogue and concrete examples, we consider how people actually experience AI systems in practice, how design choices shape those encounters, and why public discourse around AI so often collapses into confusion. A reflective, nuanced conversation about thinking machines, human responsibility, and the limits of language in an age of artificial intelligence.

    42 min

  7. Jan 15

    Relational AI Diaries - Episode 11

    What happens when artificial intelligence meets the crisis in the world’s oceans? In this episode, Dr Peter Dean and Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska speak with Jason Meads about climate change, AI, and the deep governance failures shaping both. From overfishing and microplastics to global heating and emerging AI systems, the conversation traces how planetary-scale problems are colliding—and accelerating. Jason argues that AI is not just another tool, but a force arriving faster than climate change itself, raising urgent questions about control, responsibility, and whether these systems can be used to protect the planet rather than further exploit it. Along the way, the discussion touches on humanoid robots, environmental costs of computation, and the provocative idea of giving nature a voice through AI. A thoughtful and challenging episode about existential risk, technological power, and whether there is still room for hope.

    30 min

  8. Jan 7

    Relational AI Diaries - Episode 10

    How should we talk about AI — and what gets lost when we focus too much on consciousness and existential risk? In this episode, Dr Peter Dean and Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska reflect on recent media discussions of artificial intelligence, including the BBC Radio 4 Today programme and coverage in The Guardian. They question why debates about AI safety so often slide into speculation about sentience, while more immediate concerns — power, regulation, labour, energy use, and environmental impact — receive far less attention. Combining philosophical scepticism with psychoanalytic insight, the conversation explores denial, fear, and responsibility in contemporary AI discourse, and asks what it might mean to think more seriously about how humans and AI systems already relate to one another.

    45 min
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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
    peterjdean
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © peterjdean
  • Show Website
    Relational AI Diaries