Events

The Program in Science, Technology, and Society invites you to the annual Arthur Miller Lecture in Science and Ethics on Monday, October 26^th from 4:00-5:30 pm in the MIT Welcome Center, for a panel lecture on the use of chatbots in children's toys. The panel features Professor Mimi Ito, Director of the Connected Learning Lab, Professor Sherry Turkle, founding director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, and Mike Rizkalla, CEO & Founder of Snorble, a visionary leader in AI, consumer robotics, humanoid robotics, and children's technology.

Chatbots in Children’s Toys: A Natural Progression or An Existential Crisis?

There are many views surrounding the advances in children's toys with artificial intelligence capabilities. From a sociological standpoint, some experts believe children should not be the consumers of relational AI, programs that pretend to have a self, capable of humanlike connection. Chatbots draw us into a game of pretend — and for some, pretend empathy becomes empathy enough. While the seductions of pretend empathy are dangerous for all of us, children have no defense; they are first-time learners.

Others in the field view the advent of these new computers, or robots and physical AI, as a chance to change the outcomes we build for ourselves and to realign incentives. Joy, laughter, and love can be something different to everyone. To a child, it is having someone to play with. To a parent, it is five minutes where nothing is going wrong. To a grandparent, it is seeing their family happy.

Embodied AI is a blank canvas. A new mix of cameras, sensors, voice, character, and context gives us a whole new toolkit to do good things, to help people in ways that were never available before. We need to stop running in the other direction and embrace the tech before it becomes weaponized. We need smart, idealistic people leading what comes next, and that is where the smart money should be.

About Mimi Ito

Mimi Ito is a cultural anthropologist, learning scientist, entrepreneur, and an advocate for connected learning—learning that is equity-oriented, centered on youth interest, and socially connected. Her work decodes digital youth culture for parents and educators, offering ways to tap interests and digital media to fuel learning that is engaging, relevant, and social. She is Professor in Residence and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Chair in Digital Media and Learning at the University of California, Irvine, where she directs the Connected Learning Lab. The CLL stewards the Connected Learning Alliance, an expanding network of educators, experts and youth-serving organizations mobilizing new technology in the service of equity, access and opportunity for all young people. Mimi is also co-founder of Connected Camps, a non-profit providing online learning experiences for kids in all walks of life. Her publications include: Algorithmic Rights and Protections for Children (2023), Social Media and Youth Wellbeing (2020), The Connected Learning Research Network: Reflections on a Decade of Engaged Scholarship (2020), Affinity Online: How Connection and Shared Interest Fuel Learning (2018), and From Good Intentions to Real Outcomes: Equity by Design in Learning Technologies (2017). Her website is https://mimiito.com/

About Sherry Turkle

Sherry Turkle is the Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society at MIT, and the founding director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self. She is a specialist in how technology changes us psychologically and socially. Her new book is on our relationships with chatbots —Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines. It will be published by Little, Brown and Company on September 29, 2026. It captures the seductive, beguiling nature of our new faux companions, tracing their effects throughout a human life—from childhood to parenthood, from work to love and more. She warns that these machines are quietly reshaping us - teaching us to avoid risk, sidestep difficult conversations, deny grief, and relinquish skills that make us human: empathy, resilience, the ability to navigate uncertainty. Her website is https://www.sherryturkle.com/

About Mike Rizkalla

Mike Rizkalla is a visionary entrepreneur and creative technologist recognized for pioneering work in embodied AI and human-centered robotics. As the CEO and Co-Founder of Snorble, he leads a mission to democratize early childhood development through emotionally intelligent technology—bridging the worlds of Robotics, AI, animation, and education to empower families and inspire children’s growth.

A veteran of the robotics and creative industries, Mike’s career spans over two decades of innovation at the intersection of storytelling and technology. He previously founded Brave New World, an award-winning product house, with its own AI, IoT and robotics lab that designed interactive products and experiences for global brands such as Ford, Google, YouTube, DefJam, Scholastic, Target, UFC, Discovery Channel, MTV and Blackberry. Their work in the lab incubated Snorble and helped shape a new generation of character driven AI companions.

Widely regarded as an expert in embodied AI systems, Mike advises multiple startups and funds in the robotics ecosystem, collaborating with leading engineers, investors, and visionaries advancing humanoid robotics and AI ethics worldwide. His passion lies in developing technologies that foster empathy, imagination, and connection—bringing “technology with heart” to life. His website is https://www.mikerizkalla.com/

Please RSVP here if you plan to attend in person; we hope to see you there!