I have been described by some as a ‘Slashy’. I have 5 different jobs: Actor/Presenter'/Musician/Tour Guide/Media Contributor (That’s a lot of slashes I suppose!) Now I’m adding writer to my list.

I graduated Cardiff University in 2021 with a Masters in Philosophy. My final Dissertation focused on the ethical adoption and development of AI in Social Robotics. Here’s the official title: ‘Is there harmful deception in social robotics and what shall we do about it?’ - I wanted to explore how we as humans respond to social cues given by technology that is designed to ACT and PERFORM like us.

While I could see the potential benefits of using ‘Social Machines’ (like combating loneliness in older/more vulnerable people) I thought it was important to ask:

• When does beneficial illusion turn into harmful deception?

When I chose this dissertation topic, my Uni tutors worried that I wouldn’t have the right support from them simply because there was no-one at the time in the department who had any expertise in the field of the Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence. I thought ‘All the more reason to do it...’ and so I did.

Fast forward to 2026. I have been working as a part-time Tour Guide at BBC Cymru Wales for 5 years. But that’s not all I’ve been doing. In that time I discovered I have a bit of a niche… I am a young(ish), Welsh speaking, Female Philosophy graduate with a specialised knowledge in the Ethical implications of AI. I began writing and presenting Welsh language radio and social media packages for BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Cymru Fyw. Following this, I became a regular contributor on the Dros Frecwast, Dros Ginio and Post prynhawn programmes on BBC Radio Cymru and recently featured on a story covering AI email scams in Wales on the evening ‘Newyddion’ bulletin on S4C.

AI is in the news DAILY at this point, with fears of an apocalypse in 10 years, stories of people falling in love with their ChatBot companions and even the sale of humanoid AI robots for the home. So I decided to revisit my dissertation to see how much things have developed and changed over 5 years (a time where my dissertation topic was ‘niche and a bit outlandish’) - and that’s the basis for THIS BLOG.

I will cover things like:

• Why we like to see ourselves in the machines we interact with

• How we react to certain forms of Social Machines/Robots

• The Ethical worries of the ‘Social performance’ these machines are putting on for us

• Any other thoughts that come to me in the process (probably while I lie awake at night overthinking it all)

If this interests you, GREAT - Over-think with me!