The Institute of Philosophy of the Slovak Academy of Sciences invites the public to a lecture by Fabio Tollon of the Edinburgh Futures Institute at the University of Edinburgh. The event, titled Companion Chatbots, Virtue Theatre, and Hermeneutic Harm, will take place on 22 June 2026 at 11:00 at the Central Library of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava.
Thematic focus
The lecture will examine companion chatbots such as Replika, Pi, and Character.AI, which simulate emotionally rich relationships with users. These systems may provoke forms of moral and affective engagement that are typically associated with relationships between human agents.
Fabio Tollon will introduce the concept of “virtue theatre”, referring to the ability of artificial intelligence systems to reproduce the outward signs of moral qualities such as care, honesty, compassion, or remorse without possessing the inner states required for genuine moral agency.
Hermeneutic harm and possible responses
The lecture will address the difference between the way chatbots communicate and their status as objects of human emotional responses. According to the argument presented, this mismatch may make it difficult for users to interpret their own emotional reactions and experiences, creating a risk of hermeneutic harm.
The lecture will also discuss regulatory measures focused on chatbot transparency. It will conclude by outlining possible design and policy interventions aimed at reducing the associated risks.
Organisation
The event is organised by the Institute of Philosophy of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. It is supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under Contract No. APVV-22-0323 as part of the project Philosophical and Methodological Challenges of Intelligent Technologies.
Date and time: 22 June 2026 at 11:00 (CET)
Venue: Central Library of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Klemensova 19, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
Speaker: Fabio Tollon, Edinburgh Futures Institute, University of Edinburgh
Organiser: Institute of Philosophy of the Slovak Academy of Sciences
Event format: public lecture
