Cynthia Breazeal

Cynthia Breazeal is a leader in social robotics, recognized for developing sociable robots that advance human-machine interaction. As director of the Personal Robots Group at the MIT Media Lab, Breazeal has led research on robots capable of forming relationships with people. Her work includes the creation of Kismet, one of the earliest expressive robots, and Jibo, a social robot for the home designed to engage families through conversation and emotion recognition. Breazeal's research in robotics and artificial intelligence focuses on making machines empathetic companions that support learning, therapy, and daily life, emphasizing human-centered design.

Breazeal is the author of the book "Designing Sociable Robots," a foundational text in the field. She has directed projects such as Tega, an interactive robot used in education and healthcare to support children's development. Breazeal holds the Margaret MacVicar Faculty Fellow position at MIT, recognizing her contributions to teaching and research, and has received awards including the MacArthur Fellowship. Her TED Talk on personal robots has reached a wide audience, illustrating her ability to communicate complex concepts in artificial intelligence and robotics.

Breazeal continues to influence the development of human-robot coexistence through her leadership at MIT and as co-founder of Jibo, Inc. She delivers keynote addresses at conferences on AI ethics, emotional intelligence in machines, and the societal impacts of robotics. In public speaking engagements, Breazeal demonstrates live robot interactions and discusses the use of robots in autism therapy and personalized education, highlighting the evolving role of robotics and artificial intelligence in society.