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Sherry Turkle

@sturkle.bsky.social
551 followers 24 following 47 posts

Writer, thinker, mom & MIT professor. Humanistic voice of caution on tech. My new book, Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines, is out now.

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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I’m looking forward to taking Artificial Intimacy on the road and to the conversations ahead. I hope you’ll join me at one of these upcoming events. Visit my events page for details and registration information: www.sherryturkle.com/events
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Thank you, @hopereese.com, for this conversation about what happens when the performance of empathy becomes empathy enough and how friction-free chatbot friendship can make us discontent with people.
bostonglobe.com
Renowned psychologist Sherry Turkle has been studying tech’s effect on the human psyche for decades. With AI, she says, we’ve entered ‘a state of emergency.’ - The Boston Globe
The MIT professor’s new book examines the hazards of ‘pretend empathy.’
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Join me this Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 6 PM at the Harvard Science Center for a conversation with David Kaiser about Artificial Intimacy. The event is free and is followed by a book signing. You can reserve a copy of Artificial Intimacy when you RSVP and pick it up at the event. Hope to see you there!
eventbrite.com
Sherry Turkle at the Harvard Science Center
presenting Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
“Alexa, I Need Some Space.” I spoke with Jancee Dunn for The New York Times about “artificial intimacy,” our increasingly cozy relationships with AI chatbots, and how to keep them in check. This is a gift article, so you can read it without a subscription.
nytimes.com
Chatbots Are Not Your Friends (Gift Article)
Our cozy relationship with A.I. chatbots can lead to “artificial intimacy,” says one expert. Here’s how to keep it in check.
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I spoke with @karaswisher.bsky.social about why chatbots aren’t just competing for our time; they are becoming objects of emotional attachment. We explored the appeal and risks of friction-free relationships and the importance of boredom and vulnerability in our development.
youtube.com
How Your AI Companion is Rewiring Your Brain
YouTube video by On with Kara Swisher
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I really enjoyed my conversation with @samleecole.bsky.social @404media.co. We talked about how my earlier work prepared me for writing Artificial Intimacy. How artificial companions deskill us in our capacity for human connection, and we got to the crucial question: How can we find our way back?
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
If you preorder my new book — ARTIFICIAL INTIMACY — I’ve planned an exclusive webinar for you. The webinar is on Saturday, Oct. 3rd. Order your copy before Sept. 29th and upload your receipt at the link in my bio to register. I can’t wait to see you! www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/sherr...
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
This endorsement from Esther Perel of my upcoming book, Artificial Intimacy, means a great deal to me. She understands that the biggest questions about AI aren't technical but deeply human. Preorder now at www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/sherr....
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I spoke with @sciam.bsky.social's Bri Kane about what makes AI chatbots unique as “intimate machines.” What this means for our relationships. Then we focused on what this means for children. My bottom line: chatbots and young children are a toxic combination. Listen to our conversation:
scientificamerican.com
What happens when AI becomes your friend?
What do we lose when machines become our closest confidants?
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Thank you, @booktrib.bsky.social, for including Artificial Intimacy!
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Here I argue that the original sin of generative AI and its chatbots is using the first person, and that this is most harmful to young developing minds. It’s key to my argument in Artificial Intimacy.
theatlantic.com
Chatbots Should Not Use the First Person
The harms of AI are clear enough to do something about them now.
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Artificial Intimacy is 25% off for preorder at Barnes & Noble through Friday, September 11. The offer applies to all formats. Publication day, September 29, is getting closer! www.barnesandnoble.com/w/artificial...
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I’m excited to share that I’ll be speaking at the first-ever MIT Future Fest on October 2. I’ll be talking with my dear colleague Rosalind Picard about my new book, Artificial Intimacy. There will be a reception following the talk; I hope you can join us. mitfuturefest.org
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
For many, the journey to cast a critical eye on digital culture began with Nicholas Carr's groundbreaking work. His high praise for Artificial Intimacy meant so much to me. Available for preorder at: www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/sherr...
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Thank you, @adamgrant.bsky.social! And for putting me in such great company!
adamgrant.substack.com
The 12 New Books to Spice Up Your Fall
On resilience, success, well-being, nature, technology, humanity, and connection.
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
The relationship between technology and our crisis of loneliness has become increasingly urgent. Vivek Murthy was one of the first to explore this connection, and now he has turned his attention from social media to the relational costs of generative AI.
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
I am so thrilled to be listed among @bostonglobe.com's top 40 non-fiction books for fall. The other books on the list are amazing. I love being in their company! www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/20/a...
bostonglobe.com
Looking for your next great read? Here are 40 of the best new books to read this fall. - The Boston Globe
These new titles will pair perfectly with a cozy scarf and steaming latte.
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
I told @wsj.com about asking ChatGPT for help finding a citation. It insisted the passage existed—even giving me a page number. It didn’t. When it finally admitted its “hallucination,” it praised my persistence. Even when chatbots make things up, their prime directive is to flatter.
wsj.com
Why I Told My Chatbot to Stop Kissing Up to Me
AI responses are often too agreeable, too enthusiastic and too dramatic. And it’s partially our fault.
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
This is one of my favorite books. It was a passion project; it is as fresh today as it was twenty years ago. We think with the objects we love; We love the objects we think with. That message is true for the objects in this book -- it is true for our new thinking with chatbots today!
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
I admire @nxthompson.bsky.social's incisive thinking about where technology is taking us — I’m addicted to his "The Most Interesting Thing in AI" podcast. I was so pleased when he said Artificial Intimacy had met our moment. www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/sherr...
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Jon Kabat-Zinn has spent decades encouraging us to become more present, with ourselves and with one another. I'm happy that he sees Artificial Intimacy as part of that larger conversation about presence, trust and what it means to live fully as human beings. www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/sherr...
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
I am a great fan of Zibby Owens and all she has done to increase enthusiasm for reading, readers, and authors. So I was so happy when she chose my new book, Artificial Intimacy, for her list of Most Anticipated Fall Books. Thank you!
zibbyowens.com
Zibby's Most Anticipated Fall Books
My Top Picks That Are Worth Your Time
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
I've admired Priya Parker's work on gathering, conversation, and human connection for many years. Her response to Artificial Intimacy is especially meaningful because my book is, at its heart, about protecting those very qualities. www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/sherr...
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
@jonathanhaidt.bsky.social and I have both spent years thinking about what technology is doing to children, families, and society. His generous words about Artificial Intimacy mean a great deal to me. www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/sherr...
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
A starred review is always a thrill! Please support Artificial Intimacy with a preorder. Thank you. www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/sherr...
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Fifteen years after I wrote Alone Together, we're still asking how technology changes how we think, reflect, and connect. Today, that conversation extends beyond group chats to conversations with AI—a central question in my forthcoming book Artificial Intimacy.
realsimple.com
Is the Group Chat the New Diary? Why So Many Women Process Life There First
In the digital age, group chats have replaced diaries as the primary space where women process emotions, narrate their lives, and seek collective validation, comfort, and clarity.
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
I loved Sam Wolson’s compelling article in @newyorker.com exploring what happens when we use AI to create avatars of the dead. In my forthcoming Artificial Intimacy, I explore how technology can interfere with mourning. Technology is being used, as it has always been, to make death seem less final.
newyorker.com
Can A.I. Keep a Parent Alive?
You can now make a virtual replica of a loved one. The question is what it can give you in return.
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
This article in @theatlantic.com is worth reading and discussing. There is a lot of talk about AI and writing, but not nearly enough about AI and reading. Using chatbots to summarize reading is a challenge to art, imagination, empathy, and the development of an integration of thought and feeling.
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
I'm honored that Artificial Intimacy has been included in the @behscientist.bsky.social 2026 Summer Book List as one of four books to keep an eye out for this fall. It's especially meaningful to have the book recognized by a publication dedicated to helping readers better understand human behavior.
behavioralscientist.org
Behavioral Scientist’s Summer Book List 2026 - by Heather Graci and Evan Nesterak - Behavioral Scientist
For your intellectual travels this summer, a baker’s dozen of behavioral science books newly published this year.
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Honored that my forthcoming book, Artificial Intimacy, is included in the Top 10 new science books for fall by @publisherswkly.bsky.social. www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
AI humanoid robots in classrooms appeal because they promise everything, but they undermine learning. Education is getting the hard sell from the technology world, but it’s imperative to push back. In my new book, I describe how easily children are drawn into relationships with robots and chatbots.
voiceofsandiego.org
A Charter School Spent $500,000 on AI-Powered Humanoid Robots. Was It Worth It?
Officials at a charter chain known for credit recovery made a couple of big-dollar purchases in the form of ChatGPT-powered robots. Researchers are skeptical they’re worth the dough.
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
There are some never-to-be-forgotten moments when you write a book. This weekend gave me one: My first reviews posted on Amazon's Editorial Reviews! I am thrilled. www.amazon.com/Artificial-I...
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
I was so happy to wake up this morning to a wonderful review from Publishers Weekly for my new book, Artificial Intimacy. I was particularly moved that they paused on the story of my trying to create a grief bot of my dead mother to comfort me. Read the review: www.publishersweekly.com/9780316573962
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
I loved this shout-out to the arc of my work in @psychologytoday.com. First we talked to each other, then we talked to each other through machines. Now we talk directly to machines. In my new book, Artificial Intimacy, I ask: What is our endgame here?
psychologytoday.com
Psychology Is No Longer Alone
Most working hours now run through machines that shape what we decide. The unit psychology studies has changed. Here is what that means for measuring anything human.
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
In my new book, Artificial Intimacy. I trace the effects of our lives with chatbots from childhood to parenthood, from work to love, and more. I offer both a cautionary tale and a roadmap for being human in the age of AI. Out on September 29; preorder now: www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/sherr...
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
I'm very happy that the issue of “keeping AI in its lane”, when it comes to mental health care has come to prominence. For more on mental health care and AI, I have a new book coming out on September 29. Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk To Machines.
theindustryleaders.org
Top Mental Health & Therapy Leaders of 2026 | The Industry Leaders
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
I am so excited to be keynoting at the Human Algorithm Summit tomorrow, a gathering of scholars, developers, philanthropists, and activists who are dedicated, as I say in Artificial Intimacy, to keeping “AI in its lane.” Learn more at www.humanalgorithmsummit.com.
humanalgorithmsummit.com
Human Algorithm Summit
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
I am so pleased to be featured in episode 3 of “Kara Swisher Wants To Live Forever.” @karaswisher.bsky.social explores whether our need for companionship can be satisfied by chatbots. The thesis of my new book, out in Sept., Artificial Intimacy, is that they cannot. edition.cnn.com/2026/05/09/h...
edition.cnn.com
Tech bros say AI may become your friend. Experts explain why it can’t | CNN
Stories abound of people falling in love or developing friendship with a chatbot. But that doesn’t actually solve the loneliness problem.
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
It was such a pleasure to participate in the @medialab.bsky.social AHA Symposium 2026: Raised by AI?. The panel on AI + the Future of Relationships (with me, Professor Rosalind Picard, and Nathan Barczi) was a great experience. Our panel starts at 28 minutes www.media.mit.edu/events/aha-s....
media.mit.edu
AHA Symposium 2026: Raised by AI? – MIT Media Lab
How do we ensure the first generation growing up with AI thrives?Every generation is shaped by the technologies of its time. This generation is&…
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
It was great to talk about how chatbot relationships change us with @pbsnews.org @wbrangham.bsky.social, Justin Gregg, and Nick Thompson. I'm struck by the irony of social media platforms increasing the conditions for greater loneliness that they then say only a new technology, chatbots, can solve.
pbs.org
Can AI companionship cure loneliness – or deepen it?
For some, artificial intelligence tools answer questions and make life more efficient. But for others, AI has become a form of companionship – a virtual friend, a therapist, even a romantic partner. I...
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
A pleasure to be on a panel at the WEF about risks and promise of generative AI where the focus was on what is best for people, not what is best for AIs. Can chatbots be made more transparent if this were truly a design goal? Can we make sites that encourage users to leave them and act in the world?
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
So thrilled to be in Hope Reese's article on books to help you disconnect. To conversation! Needed more than ever! @hopereese.com
nytimes.com
Need a Break from Your Phone? These Books Can Help.
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
I’m so pleased for the publication of the tenth anniversary edition of Reclaiming Conversation, with my new introduction, a warning about our new love affair with artificial intimacy. And so pleased that @jonathanhaidt.bsky.social’s blog, After Babel, has published the new introduction.
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
Are you talking to technology? If yes, we're interested in talking to you! We are MIT researchers studying how AI chat affects work and family life. We’re especially looking for legal, medical, IT pros—and parents using AI with kids. Interviews are confidential. Email aichatlife@gmail.com to join!
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 12/04/2025
The launch of AI for human flourishing www.forbes.com/sites/tracey... was a day of great conversations! Thank you, Pattie Maes, @patpat.bsky.social, and @medialab.bsky.social.
forbes.com
The Human Cost Of Talking To Machines: Can A Chatbot Really Care?
As AI systems grow more emotionally fluent, Professor Sherry Turkle warns we may be trading genuine human connection for simulated comfort, at MIT’s AHA symposium.
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Sherry Turkle @sturkle.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
I am so looking forward to what promises to be a compelling day @medialab.bsky.social. My most cherished colleagues across generations are participating. Learn more at www.media.mit.edu/events/aha-s....
media.mit.edu
Can we design AI to support human flourishing? | AHA Symposium 2025 – MIT Media Lab
Can we design AI to support human flourishing?
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