2026-W21 Kate Darling: Robotics, Parenting Across Cultures, and Writing in the Margins

Christine talks with Kate Darling, author of The New Breed and research lead for Robotics, Ethics & Society at the RAI Institute, about parenting in an era of AI and robotics. They cover Alexa upsells, AI tutors, YouTube rabbit holes, humanoid robot hype, school logistics, social media, kids’ books, and the gap between American and European parenting norms. They also cover Kate's recent hobby: romance novels and how to fit it all in between parenting, work, and life.

• Kate Darling: https://www.katedarling.org/

• The New Breed: What Our History with Animals Reveals About Our Future with Robots: https://www.amazon.com/New-Breed-History-Animals-Reveals/dp/1250296102/

• RAI Institute ethics research initiative: https://rai-inst.com/resources/press-release/ai-institute-launches-ethics-research/
• Beast Academy: https://beastacademy.com/
• Scratch: https://scratch.mit.edu/
• Adafruit Circuit Playground: https://www.adafruit.com/category/965
• Claude Code: https://www.anthropic.com/claude-code
• Mark Rober: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkRober
• Blake Crouch, Dark Matter: https://blakecrouch.com/books/dark-matter/
• Netflix, This Is a Gardening Show: https://www.netflix.com/title/81902230
• David Rees, How to Sharpen Pencils: https://mhpbooks.com/books/how-to-sharpen-pencils
• Dog Man: https://pilkey.com/series/dog-man
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: https://wimpykid.com/
• Project Hail Mary: https://www.andyweirauthor.com/books/project-hail-mary-hc/project-hail-mary-el
  
• The Wild Robot: https://www.thewildrobotmovie.com/
  
• Pax: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/pax-sara-pennypacker
• Christine Corbett Moran: https://christinecorbettmoran.com/