“Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the most intimate fabrics of our human existence,” Yang Hu says in this talk. “Parents ask Alexa to read their children a bedtime story. Humanoids are cleaning some houses, and emotional chatbots converse with lonely family members.”

For some, AI’s involvement in care paints a utopian future, while others fear it. Given that we are in the midst of a global care crisis (care is scarce, undervalued, and underpaid), Yang Hu explores the lessons learned about care from AI. 

Watch Yang Hu’s powerful Big Ideas Talk on the Work and Family Researchers Network Video Channel to find out what we can learn about care from AI and what we might do about it.

About Yang Hu

Yang Hu is Professor of Global Sociology at Lancaster University, UK. He obtained his PhD in Sociology as a Gates Scholar from the University of Cambridge, UK. Yang’s research focuses on family and work changes and inequalities in a global context. Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (UK) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (Canada), his recent and ongoing collaborative projects examine the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) for work and family inequalities in a cross-national context. Yang is the author of the book Chinese-British Intermarriage – Disentangling Gender and Ethnicity. His recent work has been published in journals including Nature Human Behaviour, Gender & Society, and Journal of Marriage and Family, and has been covered by media outlets including The Atlantic, The Guardian, BBC, and Channel News Asia. Yang is co-director of the Early Career Fellowship Program at the Work and Family Researchers Network. He is also a member of the UNESCO Inclusive Policy Lab.