On February 20, 2025, the PSAIS project hosted an event at the TUM Think Tank, bringing together researchers, professionals and stakeholders to discuss the psychological impacts of interactional systems. The event provided an interdisciplinary platform to explore findings from international workshops and expert consultations, fostering discussions on how emerging interactional systems affect human psychology.
Kickstarting the Discussion: Audience Brainstorming
The evening began with an interactive brainstorming session, where the audience shared their thoughts on the psychological impacts of interactional technologies. Participants identified both positive and negative effects, highlighting concerns such as anxiety, emotional dependency, anthropomorphism and social learning.
Keynote Speech by Dr. Jaimee Stuart (United Nations University, Macau)
The event continued with an insightful keynote speech by Dr. Jaimee Stuart, who explored the intersection of culture and cyberpsychology in her talk on “Cultural Perspectives on Cyberpsychology and Human-Computer Interaction”.
Dr. Stuart introduced the universalist vs. contextualist debate, emphasizing that while certain psychological effects of technology may be universal, their manifestations and societal responses are highly context-dependent. She explained how national cultural values influence technology adoption, digital competencies and online behaviors.
“Culture affects everything—how we perceive, interact with and define technology’s risks and benefits. No technological impact exists in a cultural vacuum.” – Dr. Jaimee Stuart
Dr. Stuart also pointed out that although human-technology interactions often take place in virtual spaces, their impact is no less real:
“The virtual is still real, with real and material risks and benefits!” – Dr. Jaimee Stuart
Regarding intercultural cyberpsychology, Dr. Stuart emphasized how technology reshapes identity, community and cultural interaction. She introduced digitally mediated acculturation, demonstrating how technology aids migration, social integration and activism, while also raising concerns such as surveillance and misinformation.
Importantly, Dr. Stuart cautioned that Cyberpsychology research often contains a so-called WEIRD bias, meaning that studies are frequently based on “Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic” populations, limiting their applicability to diverse cultural contexts. She called for more inclusive, cross-cultural research to ensure that psychological and ethical insights on technology reflect global realities.
Presentation of Key Findings: Auxane Boch (TUM IEAI)
Following the keynote, Auxane Boch (TUM IEAI) presented the Psychological Impact of Interactional Systems (PSAIS) project, summarizing key findings derived from intercultural workshops and expert consultations.
She introduced the PSAIS project’s approach, explaining that the first step was to identify, map and categorize the psychological impacts of interactional systems. She outlined the distinction between:
- Interactive Technologies – Technologies that allow users to actively engage with and manipulate digital environments (e.g., VR, video games, immersive simulations).
- Interactional Technologies – Technologies that simulate human-like communication and social interactions (e.g., chatbots, AI companions, large language models).
Ms. Boch then elaborated on the research methodology, detailing the workshop format and expert consultations. She illustrated key findings using the fictional persona Nemo, demonstrating how interactional technologies impact individuals across four key domains:
Social Impacts
Interactional systems shape self-perception and community engagement. On the positive side, they can foster identity exploration and strengthen online communities, but they also contribute to social fragmentation, polarization and comparison anxiety in algorithm-driven environments.
Cognitive Impacts
These technologies affect attention, memory and problem-solving skills. While they enhance learning and provide adaptive educational tools, concerns include cognitive overload, attention deficits and deskilling due to increased reliance on AI-generated content.
Emotional Impacts
Interactional technologies offer support networks, validation and self-expression, helping users navigate stress and well-being. However, they also introduce risks like self-worth issues, digital burnout and emotional dependence on online validation.
Behavioral Impacts
These systems influence habits, decision-making and impulse control. They can improve productivity and facilitate health monitoring, but they also blur work-life boundaries, increase compulsive technology use, and encourage self-objectification in digital spaces.
“Interactional systems can both purposefully and inadvertently become digital pacifiers, offering comfort, emotional support and soothing, while at the same time leading to compulsive technology use, digital over-reliance and emotional detachment from real-world interactions.” – Auxane Boch
Emerging Ethical Considerations
Beyond psychological impacts, privacy and digital surveillance emerged as key concerns. Constant tracking can lead to self-censorship and anxiety, while the privacy paradox often leaves users feeling powerless against data collection.
Engaging Q&A Session
The presentations sparked a dynamic discussion, where the audience explored critical questions, such as:
How do we reconcile universalist vs. contextualist perspectives when shaping AI policies?
Dr. Stuart emphasized the need for inclusive and transparent policy-making to balance cultural sensitivity with universal ethical guidelines.
Are the psychological impacts of interactional systems truly new, or have similar effects existed in traditional media (e.g., books, print media)?
Speakers and participants debated whether the scale, speed and personalization of AI-driven technologies introduce fundamentally new challenges compared to previous communication mediums. The discussion highlighted that new digital connectivity forms create distinct psychological effects that were not present in earlier media.
Next Steps & Project Outlook
Following the Q&A, the event concluded with networking and informal discussions over refreshments. Looking ahead, the PSAIS project team plans to:
- Publish a report summarizing key insights
- Strengthen empirical links by connecting psychological impacts to existing literature
- Improve cultural representation by collaborating with experts in Africa, South America and Asia
- Develop a comprehensive, quantifiable framework for measuring the psychological impacts of interactional systems
Thank You!
The PSAIS team extends its gratitude to all speakers, participants and organizers for contributing to this milestone event. Their engagement and expertise have helped advance the understanding of interactional systems’ psychological impacts and ethical implications.
