AI assistants have been around for some time, but often just as a robotic voice and program only capable of performing a few limited tasks. However, one can now see the line between human relationships and digital companions blurring further, argues AI researcher Marisa Tschopp.

People’s relationships with their virtual assistants are more complicated than they might seem at first, and much of this stems from the tendency to anthropomorphize objects and non-sentient beings. Privacy and security concerns add a whole other layer to how and for what people are best off using their virtual assistants, how this relationship should appear, and how integrated virtual assistants should be part of daily life - or not.

Marisa Tschopp, and the Titanium Research Department team in Switzerland, challenged their digital assistants to an intelligence test. The outcome threw up quite a mixed bag of results.

The Women in AI community in Switzerland, like most, have experienced a challenging year. The pandemic took its toll on the team, and on the health of their families and friends. Marisa Tschopp takes a look back on a difficult year and looks forward to a brighter future in 2022.

Human trust has been examined in psychology for a long time, but within the context of artificial intelligence many more questions remain to be asked. Marisa Tschopp explores trust and distrust in AI and puts forward her theory that the science needs safeguards more intangible than technology and privacy laws.