The Science of Teaching Empathy with VR Ft. Dr. Ekaterina Muravevskaia w/Anita Nowak - Purposeful Empathy

AI is impacting every part of our lives—and we need to start paying more attention.Listen to this fascinating conversation with Dr. Ekaterina Muravevskaia, Assistant Professor at Indiana University, whose work sits at the intersection of empathy, virtual reality, AI, and early childhood development.We discuss:The promise and perils of AI companions, tutors, and emotionally intelligent technologiesWhat parents and educators need to know (and do) to ensure that AI becomes a coach—not a replacement for human relationshipsHow VR can help children develop empathy and social-emotional skillsHow VR empathy games might transform education and mental healthIf you’re concerned about the mental health and loneliness crisis facing kids and care about the future of childhood in the era of AI —you don't want to miss this conversation.If you're wondering how emotionally intelligent technologies and Ed Tech may reshape childhood development and relationships—you don't want to miss this conversation.00:00 Preview01:08 Episode introduction03:11 About Dr. Ekaterina Muravevskaia06:47 Ekaterina’s backstory13:01 What is the Studying Empathy, Technology, and Humans lab?15:54 How virtual reality can help children develop empathy21:28 The science of social emotional learning (aka SEL)23:21 How virtual characters shape behaviour and predict real-world relationships31:20 The psychological risks of AI companions for children33:03 Could AI replace human connection and create emotional dependency?42:59 How AI could help teachers personalize social-emotional learning in classrooms45:34 What happens when AI starts shaping human emotions?52:32 The importance of embodied learning in the age of AI58:54 Can AI detect mental health problems? 01:00:13  Will AI make us smarter or erode our cognition?01:05:20  Ekaterina’s Purposeful Empathy storyEpisode #8 of Empathy in the Age of AI, a special 25-part series: https://tinyurl.com/exyw2nua CONNECT WITH EKATERINA✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterinasavkina/ ✩ Website https://ekmurav.wixsite.com/empathy CONNECT WITH ANITA✩ Email [email protected] ✩ Website https://www.anitanowak.com✩ Buy a copy of Purposeful Empathy http://tiny.cc/PurposefulEmpathyCA✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitanowak/✩ Instagram https://tinyurl.com/anitanowakinstagram✩ Podcast Audio https://tinyurl.com/PurposefulEmpathyPodcast✩ Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/anitanowak.bsky.socialEKATERINA’S WORK✩ How VR and AI could help the next generation grow kinder and more connectedhttps://theconversation.com/how-vr-and-ai-could-help-the-next-generation-grow-kinder-and-more-connected-263181✩ “You Need to Know What Not To Do”: Co-Designing VR to Support Empathy and Social Decision-Making in Children https://www.researchgate.net/publication/407416948_You_Need_to_Know_What_Not_To_Do_Co-Designing_VR_to_Support_Empathy_and_Social_Decision-Making_in_Children✩ Designing a Role-Play Activity about Social-Emotional Learning for the Indian Context Based on the Integrated Design Framework for Playful Learning https://www.researchgate.net/publication/395919012_Designing_a_Role-Play_Activity_about_Social-Emotional_Learning_for_the_Indian_Context_Based_on_the_Integrated_Design_Framework_for_Playful_LearningSHOW NOTES✩ SETH Lab https://sethlab.lab.indianapolis.iu.edu/index.htmlVideo edited by Jad Misri, Green Horizon Studio