This event has passed
Sherry Turkle at the Harvard Science Center
Past event
Featured Book
Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines
Fom the author of prescient best seller and classic Reclaiming Conversation, Sherry Turkle, comes an urgent warning about how our ever-increasing reliance on human-like AI chatbots is eroding our capacity for empathy, caring, and the very qualities that make us human.
If social media came for our attention, artificial intelligence is now coming for our capacity for attachment. Chatbots that speak to us in a human voice offer themselves as best friends, lovers, and psychotherapists. As of 2025, over 70% of teens and nearly one-third of US adults rely on AI for companionship and emotional support, with many preferring these chatbot relationships over human ones.
When we talk to chatbots in these roles, as intimate machines, we accept as sufficient what machines can offer: the mere performance of intimacy, empathy, and love. We begin to think that pretend empathy is empathy enough. We redefine human capacities for care, solitude, and intimacy in terms of what machines can do. Sherry Turkle, the psychologist who pioneered our understanding of human-computer relationships, calls the new culture of chatbots artificial intimacy, our new AI.
Through compelling storytelling, framed by Turkle’s decades of experience as a chronicler and analyst of digital culture, Artificial Intimacy evokes the seductive and beguiling nature of chatbots. They can organize our calendars, plan our travel, or analyze our stock picks, all with an efficiency that outstrips what a person might do.
And then, they promise to be more—to be our “perfect” companion. They will always be there for us, listen to us, and support us—and ask for nothing in return. But these intimate machines, warns Turkle, are producing a generation more alienated, depressed, and lonely than ever before. More than that, we become less equipped to reverse course—machine relationships do not offer practice for getting along with people.
Artificial Intimacy is unique in how it traces our new habit of talking to machines through the lifecycle—from children’s earliest attachments to how we face death. But technology, by offering to do everything, teaches us that we neither need nor have the capacity to take risks, have hard conversations, struggle through uncertainty or insecurity, or rely on our own faculties and judgment.
This book will be available for purchase at the event.
About This Event
RSVP is required for this event.
Harvard Book Store, the Harvard University Division of Science, and the Harvard Library welcome Sherry Turkle—Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology at MIT, founding director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, and the New York Times bestselling author of Reclaiming Conversation—for a discussion of her new book, Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk to Machines. She will be joined in conversation by David Kaiser—Germeshausen Professor of the History of Science and Professor of Physics at MIT and author of several award-winning books on the history of modern physics.
Ticketing
RSVP for free to this event or choose the "Book-Included" ticket to reserve a copy of Artificial Intimacy and pick it up at the event. Following the presentation will be a book signing.
Note: Books bundled with tickets may only be picked up at the venue the night of the event, and cannot be picked up in-store beforehand. Ticket holders who purchased a book-included ticket and are unable to attend the event will be able to pick up their book at Harvard Book Store up to 30 days following the event. This offer expires after 30 days. Please note we cannot guarantee signed copies will be available to ticket holders who do not attend the event.
Praise for Artificial Intimacy
“All around us, people are beguiled by the siren song of artificial intimacy. Sherry Turkle's 40 years of groundbreaking research and beautiful writing make her the most qualified member of Team Humanity to call us back to our senses, and to each other.” —Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation
“The best thing I’ve ever read about one of the biggest questions of our time: how will we relate to machines as they become more like us? Sherry Turkle’s book is insightful, emotional, rigorous, and deeply human. Read it cover to cover and absorb its wisdom; don’t, whatever you do, just ask a bot to summarize it.” —Nicholas Thompson, author of The Running Ground
“Sherry Turkle, our wisest guide to digital life, has written her most urgent book yet. Artificial Intimacy will help you avoid the profound but often hidden threats AI poses to you and your relationships. Read it and share it with all the humans you know.” —Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows
“The preeminent sociologist of smart machines, Sherry Turkle, now writes against the techno-utopianism of our time and the promise of frictionless intimacy, chronicling the distinction between virtual and actual human community and connection.” —MIchael Sandel, author of The Tyranny of Merit
Harvard Science Book Talks
The Harvard Science Book Talks series is a collaboration between the Harvard University Division of Science, the Harvard Library, and Harvard Book Store. The series features talks by the authors of recently published books on a variety of science-related topics and is open to both the Harvard community and to the general public. Learn more and watch recordings of past talks here.
Order Signed Books
Unable to attend a Harvard Book Store author event? You can still pre-order a signed book by one of our visiting authors.
While we can't guarantee fulfillment of a signed book pre-order, our authors are almost always able to sign extra books to fulfill such orders.
Learn more about ordering signed event books.
Contact Info
General Info
(617) 661-1515
info@harvard.com
Media Inquiries
mediainquiries@harvard.com
Accessibility Inquiries
access@harvard.com
Featured Authors
Sherry Turkle
Sherry Turkle is the Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology at MIT and the founding director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self. A leading expert in humans’ relationship with digital objects, she continues to revolutionize our understanding of the role of technology on psychology and culture. She is the New York Times bestselling author of Alone Together, Reclaiming Conversation, and The Empathy Diaries. Turkle’s most recent book is Artificial Intimacy: Who We Become When We Talk To Machines (Little, Brown September 29, 2026) and is available for preorder now. Turkle is a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Rockefeller Humanities Fellowship, the Harvard Centennial Medal, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She received a joint doctorate in sociology and personality psychology from Harvard University and is a licensed clinical psychologist. Photo Credit: Justin Kaneps
David Kaiser
David Kaiser is Germeshausen Professor of the History of Science and Professor of Physics at MIT. He is the author of several award-winning books on the history of modern physics, including Drawing Theories Apart: The Dispersion of Feynman Diagrams in Postwar Physics (2005) and How the Hippies Saved Physics: Science, Counterculture, and the Quantum Revival (2011). His latest book is Quantum Legacies: Dispatches from an Uncertain World (2020). Kaiser co-directs a research group on early-universe cosmology with Alan Guth in the MIT Center for Theoretical Physics — a Leinweber Institute (CTP-LI), and has also designed and helped to conduct novel experimental tests of quantum theory. A Fellow of the American Physical Society, Kaiser has received MIT’s highest awards for excellence in teaching. His work has been featured in Science, Nature, the New York Times, and the New Yorker magazine. His group’s efforts to conduct a “Cosmic Bell” test of quantum entanglement were featured in a documentary film, “Einstein’s Quantum Riddle,” which premiered on US Public Television stations in 2019.
About the Venue
Harvard Science Center
Presented by Harvard Book Store
The presentation will take place in Hall B of the Harvard Science Center, located at 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge.
1 Oxford Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
More at Harvard Book Store
Neal Stephenson at First Parish Church
Harvard Book Store, the Harvard University Division of Science, and the Harvard Library welcome Neal Stephenson—#1 New York Times bestselling author of Polostan and Cryptonomicon—for a discussion of his highly anticipated new book, D: Heavy Water, the second installment in his monumental Bomb Light series-a gripping tale set on the eve of World War II, as nations race to find and control an elusive substance critical to building atomic weapons. TICKETING Tickets include admission for one and one hardcover copy of D: Heavy Water pre-signed by the author. Following the presentation Neal Stephenson will personalize books. Note: Books bundled with tickets may only be picked up at the venue the night of the event, and cannot be picked up in-store beforehand. Ticket holders who purchased a book-included ticket and are unable to attend the event will be able to pick up their book at Harvard Book Store up to 30 days following the event. This offer expires after 30 days. Please note we cannot guarantee signed copies will be available to ticket holders who do not attend the event. ABOUT D: Heavy Water From Neal Stephenson, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Polostan and Cryptonomicon, comes the second installment in his monumental Bomb Light series—a gripping tale set on the eve of World War II, as nations race to find and control an elusive substance critical to building atomic weapons. Europe, 1934. British journalist Owen Crisp-Upjohn is dispatched to Moscow, where his assignments quickly escalate from cultural reporting to international espionage. Before long, Owen finds himself pulled into the orbit of the enigmatic Earl of Suffolk, a maverick aristocrat, and Aurora, a curiously compelling woman with a shadowy past rooted in Soviet intelligence. Their mission soon becomes clear: secure the earth’s only supply of deuterium—"heavy water"—before it falls into Nazi hands. The high-stakes pursuit takes them from London’s plush drawing rooms to Barcelona, ravaged by the Spanish Civil War; from far-flung Soviet aerodromes to the perilous, icy landscapes of occupied Norway. Over time, Owen evolves from a detached observer into a man forced to confront profound questions of honor, love, and moral responsibility as loyalties are tested and allegiances shift in an ever-tightening web of science, intrigue, and deceit. Rich with historical insight, emotionally complex characters, and a relentless sense of urgency with a world on the edge of cataclysm, D: Heavy Water is a suspenseful and wildly entertaining tale of courage and consequence in which humankind’s future is shaped by decisions made in the shadows. BIO Neal Stephenson is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the novels Termination Shock, Fall; or, Dodge in Hell, The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. (with Nicole Galland), Seveneves, Reamde, Anathem, The System of the World, The Confusion, Quicksilver, Cryptonomicon, The Diamond Age, Snow Crash, Zodiac, and the groundbreaking nonfiction work In the Beginning . . .Was the Command Line. He lives in Seattle, Washington. HARVARD SCIENCE BOOK TALKS The Harvard Science Book Talks series is a collaboration between the Harvard University Division of Science, the Harvard Library, and Harvard Book Store. The series features talks by the authors of recently published books on a variety of science-related topics and is open to both the Harvard community and to the general public. Learn more and watch recordings of past talks here. Unable to attend a Harvard Book Store author event? You can still pre-order a signed book by one of our visiting authors. While we can't guarantee fulfillment of a signed book pre-order, our authors are almost always able to sign extra books to fulfill such orders.
Fall Warehouse Sale
Join us for our Fall Warehouse Sale in Needham! The Harvard Book Store Warehouse Sale features thousands of new books deeply discounted up to 40-80% off the list price. The sale features books across genres, hardcover and paperback, adult and children's literature. For fans of our used books department, a featured selection is available at the sale to browse as well. The Warehouse Sale also features other bookish merchandise including totes, stationary, and apparel. Are you a member of our free Frequent Buyer Program? If so, Friday, October 23 is just for you! Join us at our warehouse in Needham, between 4 PM and 7 PM for exclusive early access to the sale. To take advantage of the preview night on Friday, October 23 you must be a member of the Frequent Buyer Program. Not a Frequent Buyer yet? It's free to sign up either in store or online. Not only do perks include early access to our annual warehouse sales, but many other benefits when shopping either in-store or online. Warehouse Sale Hours: Friday, October 23: 4 PM–7 PM (exclusively for members of our frequent buyer program) Saturday, October 24 & Sunday, October 25: 9 AM– 7 PM (open to all!) Please remember the Harvard Book Store Warehouse has moved. The warehouse is now located at 330 Reservoir Street, Needham, MA 02494. Our Needham location has ample parking! The best ways to get to Needham (from Cambridge) is to take the 71 to Watertown Square, transfer onto the 59 bus to Reservoir Street, followed by a short walk. Questions If you have questions about the Summer Warehouse Sale, please direct any questions to warehousesale@harvard.com or info@harvard.com, or call the bookstore at (617) 661-1515.
Bonnie Garmus at First Parish Church
Harvard Book Store welcomes Bonnie Garmus—New York Times bestselling author of the global sensation Lessons in Chemistry, honored with sixteen international literary awards and made into an Apple TV limited series—for a discussion of her latest novel, Peck & Peck. She will be joined in conversation by Daphne Kalotay—award-winning author of the story collection The Archivists. TICKETING There are two ticket options for this event. Following the presentation, the author will personalize books (first names only). A book purchase is required in order to join the personalization line. Book-Included Tickets: Includes admission for one and one hardcover copy of Peck & Peck, pre-signed by Bonnie Garmus. Following the presentation, Bonnie will personalize books for book-included ticket holders. Admission-Only Tickets: Includes admission for one to the presentation. Additional copies of Peck & Peck will be available for purchase at the event, as well as copies of Lessons in Chemistry. Note: Books bundled with tickets may only be picked up at the venue the night of the event, and cannot be picked up in-store beforehand. Ticket holders who purchased a book-included ticket and are unable to attend the event will be able to pick up their book at Harvard Book Store up to 30 days following the event. This offer expires after 30 days. Please note we cannot guarantee signed copies will be available to ticket holders who do not attend the event. ABOUT Peck & Peck A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK FOR COUNTRY LIVING AND BOOKPAGE The #1 New York Times bestselling author of global sensation Lessons in Chemistry returns with an irresistible, delightful, and tender literary novel set in the publishing world of 1980s New York City about a young man whose life turns upside down when he is hired by the most prestigious, secretive, and dysfunctional poetry journal in the world: the renowned Peck & Peck. Find originality. Reward creativity. Burn the rest. It’s 1982, New York City. Crime is on the rise, muggings are in the streets, and Batter Gray, recent college graduate with a skill that no one wants—an “ear” for poetry—is worried about his future. While all of his friends have real jobs, he’s folding T-shirts at the Gap. As for love? No. Not unless you count Sallie Mae, the student loan tyrant. He hears from Sallie all the time. But when Batter gets a dream job at Peck & Peck, the most prestigious poetry quarterly in the world, his life moves into the literary fast lane. Soon Batter is knee-deep in the secret war between the two Editors in Chief, the famous Peck brothers—twins and enemies—as well as being privy to the private affairs of their thirty-nine editors, whose professed mission is the same: Find originality. Reward creativity. Burn the rest. And by burn, they mean incinerate. Because at Peck & Peck, “good” isn’t good enough, “interesting” doesn’t cut it, plagiarists aren’t tolerated, and parolees run the mailroom. Still want to submit your poem? Go with God. Welcome to another dazzling and unforgettable novel from Bonnie Garmus. If you loved Lessons in Chemistry, you will love Peck & Peck. BIOS Bonnie Garmus is a coffee-dependent American novelist. Her debut novel, Lessons in Chemistry, was a Good Morning America Book Club Pick, a Goodreads Choice Best Book of the Year, spent nearly two years on the New York Times bestseller list and was named by Times readers as one of the top 100 books of the 21st century. Translated into over forty languages, Lessons in Chemistry was honored with sixteen international literary awards and made into an Apple TV limited series. Peck & Peck is her second novel. Daphne Kalotay is the author of the fiction collections Calamity and Other Stories, shortlisted for the Story Prize, and The Archivists, winner of 2021 The Grace Paley Prize, as well as three award-winning novels: the national and international bestseller Russian Winter, which won the Writers' League of Texas Fiction Award; Sight Reading, winner of the New England Society Book Award in Fiction, and Blue Hours, a Massachusetts Book Awards "Must Read." Daphne received her M.F.A. from Boston University's Creative Writing Program, where her stories won the Florence Engel Randall Fiction Prize and a Transatlantic Review Award from the Henfield Foundation, before earning her Ph.D. in Modern and Contemporary Literature. She has received fellowships from the Christopher Isherwood Foundation, Yaddo, Bogliasco, and MacDowell and has taught literature and creative writing at Princeton University, Middlebury College, Boston University, and Harvard University. She lives in Somerville, Massachusetts. Unable to attend a Harvard Book Store author event? You can still pre-order a signed book by one of our visiting authors. While we can't guarantee fulfillment of a signed book pre-order, our authors are almost always able to sign extra books to fulfill such orders.