Articles

From the Erosion of Human Bonds to the Future Workforce: Growing Up With AI

What happens to human bonds when artificial intelligence stops being merely a tool and starts occupying an intimate place in our emotional, educational, and professional lives? This is the underlying question running through the interview you are about to read, a deep, unsettling, and urgently timely conversation with Rachida Bouaiss. Rachida is a strategist, storyteller,…
Securing Tomorrow: Navigating Cyber Risk in the Age of Generative AI

In this interview, we explore the technical frontiers of AI security with Quentin Cozette, a specialist in cybersecurity and digital governance whose work bridges low-level hardware vulnerabilities and high-level regulatory challenges. Drawing on his experience in information systems security, risk management, and emerging AI regulation, Quentin offers a rare perspective that combines technical depth with…
Can AI Regulate (or Dysregulate) Your Nervous System?

As emotionally responsive artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in daily life, a deeper question is beginning to surface. Beyond productivity, convenience, or entertainment, how do these systems interact with the human nervous system? What happens when an algorithm begins to simulate presence, comfort, validation, and even love? From AI companions and chat-based emotional support systems…
The Hidden Link Between AI Companions and Transhumanism

This article explores how intimate AI platforms reflect a transhumanist vision of technology as more than a tool: a “savior” meant to help humans face everything from loneliness to mortality. We’ll also examine what this cultural shift means for the future of regulation and governance in an era where humanity increasingly merges with the machine.…
The Rise of Emotional Dark Patterns: When AI Says ‘I Love You’

Ana Catarina De Alencar 1. Manipulative Design in AI Companions Relational AI technologies, including AI companions like Replika, Character.ai, and Chai, represent a significant shift in human-computer interaction. These systems are explicitly marketed as emotional partners or friends, engaging users in conversations that simulate empathy, affection, and understanding. While this design is often justified as…
AI Agents and the Collapse of Work: A Call for a New Social Contract

1. Introduction The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents marks one of the most profound changes in the history of work. Unlike conventional automation, which focused on streamlining repetitive mechanical or computational tasks, AI agents integrate with multiple platforms and applications, execute complex workflows end-to-end, and increasingly operate with initiative and autonomy. They do not…
Regulating Algorithmic Intimacy: Lessons from New York’s AI Companion Law

Ana Catarina De Alencar Simulated Love, Real Harm What if the next person you fall in love with isn’t a person at all, but an algorithm trained to understand your feelings? Platforms like Replika and Character.AI enable users to create AI companions far beyond simple chatbots. Users have formed bonds resembling friendships, romantic relationships, and…
Emotional Data is the New Oil in the Age of Relational AI

Ana Catarina De Alencar It started very innocently. You just wanted someone to talk to after a long day. So, you opened your favorite AI app, typed “I had a difficult day at work,” and the response came instantly: “I’m here for you. Want to talk about it?” Three weeks later, and you’re telling this…
Barbie with ChatGPT: Would you buy an AI-powered toy for your child?

Ana Catarina De Alencar Affective technology in toys: what is being proposed? Mattel has just announced a partnership with OpenAI to transform classic toys like Barbie, Hot Wheels and Fisher-Price into interactive companions powered by artificial intelligence. The promise? Toys that “learn” from children, recognize emotions and offer personalized experiences. The first product line using…
AI is Everywhere, All at Once: Is This the End of the Nation-State?

Ana Catarina De Alencar Rethinking the Social Contract The challenge of governing artificial intelligence extends far beyond engineering constraints or conventional legal frameworks. As AI systems grow more autonomous, they pose a profound dilemma for democratic governance. In a world increasingly steered by opaque algorithms and infrastructures beyond human oversight, how can we preserve democratic…
Mind Machines & Medical Miracles – Insights from an interview with Mike Gartrell, Lead AI Research Scientist at Sigma Nova

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has made an impressive leap with the emergence of Foundation Models (FMs). These are massive neural networks trained on enormous amounts of data, capable of performing multiple tasks, from creating images that never existed to answering complex questions as if they were experts. Examples? OpenAI’s GPT-4, which writes texts…
Is Artificial Intelligence Comforting Us Too Much? The Risk of Living Only What We Want to Hear

We live in a world where truth competes with engagement, and machines know exactly what we want to hear. Recent studies suggest that continuous use of artificial intelligence may lead to brain atrophy by reducing cognitive effort, as well as causing addictive effects similar to those of social media, activating emotional reward circuits. At the…
Algorithmic Love

Inside the world of AI dating simulations and what they mean for human freedom, consent, and our emotional lives This article explores emerging technologies in the growing field of algorithmic intimacy — systems that simulate, mediate, or even preempt human relationships through artificial intelligence. What once seemed speculative fiction is now entering the market. From…
Are Subscription Platforms Redefining Life? A Critical Look at Black Mirror’s ‘Common People’

Ana Catarina De Alencar Technology Law | AI Governance & Compliance | IT, SaaS & Commercial Contracts | Data Protection (GDPR, EU AI Act) | Intellectual Property May 12, 2025 Imagine a world where staying alive depends on your subscription plan. An existential “freemium” model, where health, consciousness, and the most essential aspects of life…
AI Trends in Art 2025: Emotional Cinema and the Future of Personalized Storytelling 🤖

Have you ever imagined watching a movie completely tailored to your personal tastes and interests? Or being part of an immersive experience where you can decide the story’s outcome in real time? Welcome to the concept of AI Emotional Cinema, an ultra-personalized audiovisual experience where the narrative dynamically adapts to the viewer’s reactions in real…
Digital Cloning: Can AI Clone You?

Imagine a world where AI can mimic not just your voice but your entire image, personality, and even the subtle quirks that make you, you. That world isn’t science fiction; it’s happening right now. AI tools can now recreate full digital replicas of us, from visual likenesses to unique gestures and vocal tones. Are we,…
Can the EU AI Act Combat Gender Discrimination in AI? 🚫👩‍⚕️👨‍💻

🤔Have you ever thought that the technology we use might be perpetuating biases we thought we had overcome? 🤕 AI doesn’t just replicate societal biases; it can amplify them, especially against women and girls. This happens because AI algorithms learn from data that carries the same stereotypes and inequalities present in our society. That’s why…
When Faith Meets the Algorithm: The Digital Oracle of Chinese Youth and the Future of Spiritual Practices

What do you do when you need spiritual guidance? Do you turn to a sacred text? A spiritual guide? Or… do you ask an artificial intelligence? In China, young people are seeking advice on love, life, and purpose not from temples or gurus, but from a chatbot called DeepSeek. Trained on Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and…
New Study Finds AI Can Clone You and ”Simplify Your Life”

According to a groundbreaking study by researchers from Stanford and Google DeepMind, if you spend at least 2 hours in an interview with AI, it can create a virtual replica of you that embodies your values and preferences with stunning accuracy. In the study, 1,000 participants from diverse social, gender, and educational backgrounds were interviewed.…
The Future of Dating Apps in AI: A Digital Twin Dating for You?

Imagine a bot that can entirely replicate your personality, including your way of speaking, quirks, and even your appearance, acting on your behalf when it comes to evaluating and choosing a romantic partner. Would you feel comfortable entrusting this service to an artificial intelligence? Recently, Whitney Wolfe Herd, the founder of Bumble, made a controversial…
What if, one day, turning off the AI meant shutting down the world itself? A reflection inspired by the Series Black Mirror.

I work with Privacy and AI. So, this Black Mirror episode really hit close to home. In the episode ”Plaything” from Season 7, a game reviewer receives a mysterious CD containing an “experimental game.” But it turns out to be a simulated reality, inhabited by small autonomous AI entities called Thronglets. As these Thronglets begin…
What Does Psychoanalysis Have to Say About Artificial Intelligence?

Ana Catarina De Alencar Technology Law | AI Governance & Compliance | IT, SaaS & Commercial Contracts | Data Protection (GDPR, EU AI Act) | Intellectual Property February 11, 2025 How would psychoanalysis interpret technologies like AI Jesus in a church confessional, AIs that choose romantic partners, or even those that claim to “replace” therapists?…
The AI Jesus: A New Path to Human Spirituality?

Ana Catarina De Alencar November 26, 2024 Last week, St. Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne, Switzerland, placed an ‘’AI Jesus avatar” in the confessional booth. Although the church has emphasized that the tool is not intended to replace the “traditional” confessional, it enables individuals to engage in conversations with “Jesus” and receive real-time responses in 100…
AI Transparency is more than compliance — it’s a strategy! Is your company ready?

Ana Catarina De Alencar Technology Law | AI Governance & Compliance | IT, SaaS & Commercial Contracts | Data Protection (GDPR, EU AI Act) | Intellectual Property December 30, 2024 By Ana Catarina De Alencar[1] The EU AI Act places transparency at the heart of compliance, but why should your company prioritize it? Beyond avoiding…
What If Your AI Clone Could Find the Ideal Partner for you? A startup is building a dating app where your digital clone explores relationships before

Ana Catarina De Alencar Technology Law | AI Governance & Compliance | IT, SaaS & Commercial Contracts | Data Protection (GDPR, EU AI Act) | Intellectual Property May 5, 2025 Imagine having a digital twin,a kind of romantic clone,that goes on virtual dates for you. It chats, it connects, it argues a little, it flirts…