The Science of Teaching Empathy with VR Ft. Dr. Ekaterina Muravevskaia w/Anita Nowak - Purposeful Empathy - Purposeful Empathy with Anita Nowak | Lyssna här

AI is impacting every part of our lives—and we need to start paying more attention.

Listen to this fascinating conversation with Dr. Ekaterina Muravevskaia, Assistant Professor at Indiana University, whose work sits at the intersection of empathy, virtual reality, AI, and early childhood development.

We discuss:

The promise and perils of AI companions, tutors, and emotionally intelligent technologies
What parents and educators need to know (and do) to ensure that AI becomes a coach—not a replacement for human relationships
How VR can help children develop empathy and social-emotional skills
How VR empathy games might transform education and mental health

If you’re concerned about the mental health and loneliness crisis facing kids and care about the future of childhood in the era of AI —you don't want to miss this conversation.

If you're wondering how emotionally intelligent technologies and Ed Tech may reshape childhood development and relationships—you don't want to miss this conversation.

00:00 Preview

01:08 Episode introduction

03:11 About Dr. Ekaterina Muravevskaia

06:47 Ekaterina’s backstory

13:01 What is the Studying Empathy, Technology, and Humans lab?

15:54 How virtual reality can help children develop empathy

21:28 The science of social emotional learning (aka SEL)

23:21 How virtual characters shape behaviour and predict real-world relationships

31:20 The psychological risks of AI companions for children

33:03 Could AI replace human connection and create emotional dependency?

42:59 How AI could help teachers personalize social-emotional learning in classrooms

45:34 What happens when AI starts shaping human emotions?