Name: Are we still human if robots help raise our babies?
Uploaded: 2025-05-06T14:53:54Z
Duration: 8 min 28 s
Description: AI is transforming the way we work — could it also reshape what makes us human? In this quick and insightful talk, evolutionary anthropologist Sarah Blaffer Hrdy explores how the human brain was shaped by millions of years of shared childcare and mutually supportive communities, asking a provocative question: If robots help raise the next generation, will we lose the empathy that defines us?

AI is transforming the way we work — could it also reshape what makes us human? In this quick and insightful talk, evolutionary anthropologist Sarah Blaffer Hrdy explores how the human brain was shaped by millions of years of shared childcare and mutually supportive communities, asking a provocative question: If robots help raise the next generation, will we lose the empathy that defines us?

Are we still human if robots help raise our babies?

Shared childcare shaped the human brain, wiring us for empathy and mutual understanding. Today, nearly 40 percent of US two-year-olds already have their own tablets, and robots could soon play even larger roles in early care. As our reliance on technology grows, the roots of what makes us human—deep social bonds and cooperative caregiving—face new tests. How we raise future generations will determine whether these qualities endure.

Robots May Nurture, But Empathy Sets Us Apart

*Father Time: A Natural History of Men and Babies*

culture

technology

collaboration

social change

evolution

relationships

parenting

anthropology

TED Stage Talk

Sarah Blaffer Hrdy: Are we still human if robots help raise our babies?