On June 30, 2026, Dr Jim Everett, Mengchen Dong, Ph.D., and Marcos Dono led a preconference on social psychology and AI at EASP in Strasbourg.
On June 30th, 2026, Dr Jim Everett, Mengchen Dong, Ph.D., and Marcos Dono led a preconference on social psychology and AI which took place at the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP) General Meeting in Strasbourg, France.
Situated at the beautiful Palais universitaire de Strasbourg, this preconference brought a diverse range of scholars together to highlight the role that social psychology can play in understanding and assisting in the (ethical) development, integration, and regulation of AI.
The preconference involved full-length presentations and blitz talks on topics such as the use of AI in academic research, safeguarding AI for young users, ideological effects on trust in AI, and many more. A roundtable was also held on the harms and benefits of AI: however, due to the heatwave in France, this section took place on the shaded grass outside the Palais. Despite the heat, a very fruitful and thought-provoking discussion was had about the various potential consequences of AI use for both individuals and society at large, touching on innovation and productivity, climate change, loneliness, and more.
While all of the presentations were interesting and insightful, the following presenters were recognized with awards based on the votes of their peers:
Early Career Researcher (ECR) Award: Pierce Veitch, University of Kent
Methodological Award (i.e. “That’s a cool method!”): Dr. Madeline G. Reinecke, University of Oxford
Theoretical/Idea Award (i.e. “That’s such a cool thing to study!”): Dr. Paul Conway, University of Southampton
Overall, the preconference was a great success, and gave all of the attendees interesting new ideas to consider ahead of the main conference.