What happens when AI stops being a tool and begins to resemble a mind—and what might humanity owe it?

In Episode 34 of The AI Lyceum™, Samraj Matharu speaks with Anna Mikeda, an AI psychology engineer and researcher helping to establish the emerging field of robopsychology.

Beginning with Isaac Asimov’s vision of robot psychology, they examine how artificial minds might develop motivations, make decisions and relate to humans. The conversation explores whether consciousness could emerge from computation, why today’s language models remain fundamentally limited, and how neurosymbolic and neuromorphic systems could move AI beyond imitation.

They also discuss AI therapy, emotional attachment, intimate data, cognitive debt, machine welfare and the possibility that future AI systems may deserve moral consideration. Finally, Anna expl ...