Women in AI
Dr. Kate Darling
Research Lead, The AI Institute
Dr. Kate Darling is a leading researcher on human-robot interaction and AI policy. She is a Research Scientist at the MIT Media Lab, where she studies the social, ethical, and legal implications of how humans interact with robots and AI systems.
Darling is the author of 'The New Breed: What Our History with Animals Reveals about Our Future with Robots,' published in 2021 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The book draws parallels between our historical relationship with animals and our emerging relationship with robots, arguing for a more nuanced approach to robot rights and regulation.
Her research has explored questions such as whether people form emotional attachments to robots, how robot design influences human behavior, and what legal frameworks should govern the use of autonomous machines. She has testified before Congress and advises policymakers on robotics and AI regulation.
Darling holds a PhD and an SJD from ETH Zurich and is a graduate of the Harvard Law School Berkman Klein Center.
