Lecture by Dr. Kathleen Mae Cumiskey
“From the Presence of Absent Others to the Absence of Presence: The impact of emerging technologies on identity and relationships”

The B’AI Global Forum will hold a lecture by Dr. Kathleen Mae Cumiskey entitled “From the Presence of Absent Others to the Absence of Presence: The impact of emerging technologies on identity and relationships” on October 8, 2024.

◇Date & Venue

・Date: October 8, 2024 (Tue), 6:00-7:30 pm (JST)
・Venue: Room 327, Faculty of Science Bldg.3 (The University of Tokyo, Asano Campus)
・Format: on-site only
・Language: English
・How to register: Please click on the link below for registration. We will close the registration upon reaching its capacity. https://forms.gle/zq2cC1dC2Gwfqjtj6

◇Lecturer

Dr. Kathleen Mae Cumiskey (Professor, College of Staten Island & CUNY Graduate Center, City University of New York)

Born in California, USA. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Women’s Studies from Rutgers University and her Ph.D. in Social-Personality Psychology from the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center. She is Professor of Psychology at the College of Staten Island and the CUNY Graduate Center. She is also the Director of the CUNY Public Interest Technology Lab in New York City.

For the last 20 years, she has published research on the evolving nature of mobile media and its impact on human communication, identity, grief and loss. She has served in many interdisciplinary administrative roles at her university. She is an associate editor of the IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society and serves on the editorial board of the journal Mobile Media and Communication (SAGE). She serves on the advisory board to the National Deep Inference Fabric at Northeastern University. In addition to research, her work focuses on building technology skills across university curricula and supporting the growth of the U.S. public interest technology sector. She is a devoted grandmother to her four grandchildren and lives in New York City with her wife, Robin Garber.

◇Abstract

In this retrospective, Cumiskey revisits her pivotal research on the impact of mobile media on face-to-face interaction and the emotional experiences of users. She will explore how emerging mobile technologies like artificial intelligence and smart devices are reshaping our relational dynamics with ourselves and others. Drawing from her expertise in critical social and personality psychology in the U.S., Cumiskey examines how increasingly intelligent and interactive devices might be improving quality of life by meeting highly personalized needs, while also fostering an emotional dependency that sidesteps the complexities of human relationships.

The presentation will integrate the Japanese context, proposing that device companionship might be creating a new sphere of interaction that could undermine personal autonomy and genuine human connection. Cumiskey aims to ignite a critical discussion on balancing technological advancement with the preservation of essential human values and cultural traditions.

◇Organizer
B’AI Global Forum, Institute for AI and Beyond, The University of Tokyo

◇Supported by
The Institute for AI and Beyond, The University of Tokyo

◇Inquiry
B’AI Global Forum Office
bai.global.forum[at]gmail.com（Please change [at] to @）

Lecture by Dr. Kathleen Mae Cumiskey “From the Presence of Absent Others to the Absence of Presence: The impact of emerging technologies on identity and relationships”

Lecture by Dr. Kathleen Mae Cumiskey
“From the Presence of Absent Others to the Absence of Presence: The impact of emerging technologies on identity and relationships”