After5Dallas - Can AI Be Your Friend? The Case for Care Over Conversation

Discover if AI can actually care for you the way a friend would, not just chat with you. A Conversation on Artificial Intelligence, Friendship, and the Limits of Machine Care Join a philosopher and AI ethics researcher for Can AI Be Your Friend: The Case for Care Over Conversation, a thought-provoking dive into one of the most personal questions of the AI age. Together, we'll uncover what philosophers actually mean by friendship, why mutual care sits at its core, and why an AI convincingly acting like a friend is not the same as it being one. From Tolkien's Gollum to today's chatbots, you'll gain a deeper understanding of the line between behaving like a friend and actually caring like one. What We'll Cover: • The philosophy of friendship - Explore what thinkers across history agree is the non-negotiable ingredient: genuine, mutual care for the other person. • The Gollum problem - Learn how a scene from The Lord of the Rings exposes why performing friendship isn't the same as feeling it - and what that reveals about AI companionship. • Can AI ever qualify? - Discover why some philosophers argue AI companionship is still valuable, and why intentions (or the total lack of them) may be the deciding factor. Whether you're skeptical of AI companionship, curious about philosophy, or simply wondering why your chatbot's "care" feels different from a real friend's, you'll leave with a sharper framework for telling the two apart. Don't miss this chance to connect with your After5Society. About The Speaker: Syed AbuMusab, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he specializes in the philosophy and ethics of artificial intelligence. He earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Kansas, with a dissertation on the social agency and moral status of chatbots, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University's Digital Ethics Center. His research examines how AI systems reshape core social institutions - from education and healthcare to law and human relationships - drawing on analytic, feminist, and religious philosophy to bring a distinctive, multidisciplinary lens to AI ethics. Good to know before you come: • Exact bar location will be disclosed in your confirmation email • Arrive early to grab a drink and get settled • The speaker portion lasts 1 hour, with optional time to stay and socialize afterward • This is a participatory event • Seating is limited to keep the experience intimate