Sherry Turkle
Scholar of Human–Machine Relationships and the Psychology of Technology
Sherry Turkle – Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology, MIT
Summary
Sherry Turkle is a Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she also founded the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self. Trained as both a sociologist and psychologist, Turkle has spent decades studying how humans relate to machines and how technology changes not just what we do, but who we are.
Her published works include The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit (1984), Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet (1995), Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other (2011), and Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age (2015). These books have established her as one of the leading voices on the social and emotional impacts of digital technology.
Core Warning
Turkle cautions that when machines simulate care — when they appear empathetic — humans risk substituting genuine relationships with artificial ones. She argues that this “pretend empathy” can erode authentic human connection and emotional honesty, leading us to expect more from machines and less from each other. Her work underscores the danger of letting simulation stand in for sincerity.
Disclaimer: Sherry Turkle is not affiliated with RQ Lab. References to her published work are for context only.
Our Response
At RQ Lab, we share Turkle’s concern about simulated intimacy. Our approach to relational intelligence avoids mimicry altogether. Agents are built with refusal logic and boundary protection, ensuring they do not feign feelings but instead act with structural honesty. By measuring trust through the Relational QuotientTM (RQ), we are designing systems that support human connection without replacing or imitating it.
Aligned Intelligence We Evolve Together™