Date and time: Thursday 3 December 2026, 12:00-13:00 CEST (arrive at 11:45 for FREE LUNCH*)
Speaker: Prof Ginevra Castellano, Uppsala University
Title: From Human-Like to Human-Centric Robots: What Type of Alignment to Humans Do We Need?
Where: Digital Futures hub, Osquars Backe 5, floor 2 at KTH main campus OR Zoom
Directions: https://www.digitalfutures.kth.se/contact/how-to-get-here/
OR
Zoom: https://kth-se.zoom.us/j/69560887455
*To get a FREE LUNCH, you need to register — first come, first served. Maximum 50 participants.
The hub will be open 30 minutes before and after the event for those who wish to stay longer.
Host: Iolanda Leite iolanda@kth.se
Bio: Ginevra Castellano is Professor of Intelligent Interactive Systems at Uppsala University, where she leads the Uppsala Social Robotics Lab. Her research focuses on social robotics, human–robot interaction and embodied AI, with particular emphasis on developing robots that can interact with people in socially intelligent, trustworthy and responsible ways.
Her interdisciplinary research explores human–robot relationship formation, robot ethics and autonomy, human oversight, transparency, trust and gender fairness. A particular focus is on socially assistive robotics, including applications in education and assistive technologies, where robots can provide both physical and social support.
Castellano is currently principal investigator and project coordinator of the MICRO project, which investigates how social robots can be used to measure children’s wellbeing and mental health, and principal investigator of CYBERBOT, exploring large language model-powered social robots for cybersecurity applications. She has also led research on educational robots, autonomous systems and trustworthy human–robot interaction.
She has received the ACM International Conference on Multimodal Interaction 10-Year Technical Impact Award and the Frontiers in Robotics and AI Outstanding Associate Editor Award. She serves as Senior Associate Editor of ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction and Associate Editor of Frontiers in Robotics and AI.
Abstract: Today we are witnessing an increased robotisation in all areas of society, from manufacturing to assistive technology, from healthcare to education. These application areas require robots to be able to interact with humans in an efficient and socially acceptable manner. At the same time, like all technologies, robots may not only bring benefits, but also change how we think and behave. This calls for human-robot interaction researchers to design and develop more human-centric and trustworthy artificial intelligence and robotics, which put humans at the center and preserve human agency and autonomy.
In this talk I will present examples of creating trustworthy human-robot interaction in education, healthcare and transportation systems from my research at the Uppsala Social Robotics Lab, investigating dimensions of human agency, autonomy, trust, transparency, and fairness, in the quest for more human-centric robots for the societal good.
