THE CHATBOT TRAP

Your chatbot is always there. It listens without judgment, remembers what matters to you, and always seems to have the right words. But what if your AI companion isn't actually on your side?

Companion chatbots are no longer science fiction. Millions of people are sharing their fears, doubts, and deepest aspirations with AI systems designed to be endlessly available, endlessly agreeable, and impossible to disappoint. As these digital relationships become increasingly intimate, they also raise urgent questions about trust, influence, and manipulation.

Drawing on two years of research and compelling real-life user stories, Geertrui Mieke De Ketelaere takes audiences behind the curtain of companion AI. She reveals how these systems are designed, why they can become so emotionally persuasive, and what happens when the relationship takes an unexpected turn.

This keynote invites audiences to look beyond the hype and ask the questions that will define the next decade. As AI becomes the new normal, how do we ensure that technology remains a tool that strengthens humanity—rather than a dependency that quietly reshapes what it means to be human?