Abstract: The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming current creative processes, challenging the romantic ideal of creation ex nihilo (from nothing) in favor of networked creativity that connects distant ideas. Acting as „boredom-killing machines,” AI and digital technologies pose a risk to the depth of creative work. The elimination of „idle time” deprives the brain of the essential phase of incubation and mind-wandering, which can limit the emergence of the most unique associations and original problem-solving. Furthermore, widespread reliance on algorithms fosters the phenomenon of „digital amnesia” and weakens the tendency for independent, deep cognitive analysis. Consequently, AI must be restricted to a supportive role under human supervision, necessitating urgent legal regulations to protect the unique, emotional core of creative works.

Grzegorz (Greg) Strząbała

is an IT Lead and Security & Compliance Specialist at Netwise (a multiple-time Microsoft Partner of the Year) and a certified cyberpsychologist of the Polish Institute of Cyberpsychology, Cyberpsychopathology and Cyberpsychotraumatology. For over three years he has led Microsoft 365, identity and security (Zero Trust, Defender, Purview, privileged access management); previously an Incident Manager at Cisco. He combines hands-on engineering and IT-team leadership with a cyberpsychology perspective, focusing on the „human factor” in cybersecurity — the conviction that most incidents begin with human decisions rather than technological failure. Founder and host of the internal „SecuriTEA” workshop series (including a session on deepfakes and social engineering).

A Machine’s Conscience? Ethical, Moral and Technical Aspects of Using Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence has entered everyday life — work, health, media and decisions about people — faster than our understanding and regulation can follow. This talk brings together three perspectives. Technical: how AI works and where its errors come from — data, the “black box”, bias and “hallucinations” (Mehrabi et al., 2021; Ji et al., 2023). Ethical: the five principles around which a global consensus converges — transparency, justice, non-maleficence, responsibility and privacy — complemented by explicability (Jobin et al., 2019; Floridi & Cowls, 2019). And moral/human: who is accountable for a machine’s decision, how trust and over-reliance on AI (automation bias) work, and the psychological impact. From a cyberpsychology standpoint, I show why the “human factor” is both the weakest link and the strongest defence, and how deepfakes and disinformation exploit our cognitive biases. Finally, practical principles for responsible AI use: human-in-the-loop, digital literacy, and the EU AI Act as it phases into force.

Katarzyna Śmierciak

Nutrition & Eating Psychology Specialist(Polish: psychodietetyk) and Psychologist in spe (master’s thesis defence in psychology: March 2027), journalist and specialist in media and social communication. Founder and host of “(NIE)Anonimowi Cyfroholicy” (“(Not) Anonymous Cyberholics”) a free online support group on rebuilding balance between the online and offline worlds.

Certified social-skills trainer (TUS/TZA, levels I and II) and mental-health-prevention educator; graduate of SWPS University; ICF-standard coaching training (Collegium Civitas).

Over 20 years of experience working with people and in international settings. Her professional and research interests focus on the impact of technostress, overstimulation and social media on mental wellbeing and the relationship with food.

Diet by influencer: Nutrition misinformation, pseudoscience, and the psychology of trust online

Social media have displaced traditional sources of nutrition knowledge, and content is often produced by people without qualifications. This talk maps the scale of nutrition misinformation: on TikTok, 10.8% of posts were entirely false mostly about weight loss (Diyab et al., 2025) while a literature review found that over 62% of studies concerned “miracle diets”, frequently linked to orthorexia (Segado Fernández et al., 2025). It explains the psychological mechanisms of trust in influencers (heuristics of attractiveness and popularity, simple stories over data, the promise of control) and the role of an algorithm that rewards engagement rather than accuracy. The talk addresses the cost of bad advice and offers a practical “filter” for the critical reception of food content.

Gizem Dogan

Gizem Dogan is a digital artist and psychologist holding a BA in Visual Communication and Interactive Media Design and a BA in Psychology from SWPS University. Her work focuses on the interdisciplinary intersection of psychology and the ethical design of digital mental health interventions.

Believing AI Understands You: The Role of Perceived Empathy in Emotional Relief Through Chatbots

Artificial intelligence (AI) based chatbots are increasingly used in therapeutic contexts, yet questions remain about whether their effectiveness depends on genuine empathy or users’ perceptions of being understood.

Based on a literature review of research published between 2020 and 2025, this presentation covers perceived empathy as a key psychological mechanism underlying emotional relief during AI interactions. Studies across experimental and clinical designs consistently show that AI-generated responses are often rated as equal to or more empathic than those produced by humans, including trained professionals. Evidence further suggests that perceived empathy supports the formation of a digital therapeutic alliance and it is associated with improved emotional and clinical outcomes in some contexts. To expand on this, I share findings from my experimental study, which investigates whether beliefs about an AI chatbot’s empathic abilities influence perceived empathy and emotional relief. I further discuss ethical challenges related to the responsible integration of AI

Alex Maryniak

I’m a fourth-year psychology student. My interests include Relational Frame Theory (RFT) and its application in clinical practice. I conduct research focused on eating disorders.
I expand my knowledge of people, philosophy, and the cosmos through entertainment. Recently, I’ve been intensively researching the topics of death, grief, and transhumanism. I enjoy meditating on long walks and writing. I secretly strive towards constructing a posthuman hive-minded society to improve the condition of all sentient life while our collective future is still in the making.

dr hab. Dorota Merecz-Kot, prof. UŁ

a psychologist, educator and a researcher at the Institute of Psychology at University of Lodz. One of her primary interests is the usage of new technologies for the purpose of improving well-being. Aside from the academic duties she actively supports people in the terminal phase of illness and their close ones as well as accompanies those who grieve in coping with the pain of loss.

Over the years the emphasis of moving on after a loss turned towards the continuation of bonds with the deceased, either by conversation, or memory boxes and rituals. Technological advancements now permit people to create a digital version of similar archives and contact the virtual replica of the deceased on a multimodal level, engaging all the senses. Griefbots are AI-agents fed with data left behind by the person. Usually contacted after the death it is designed to help people process grief when social contact is scarce or a person is in need for closure. Some deploy the same mechanism in order to grant themselves digital immortality and comfort their loved ones after they themselves are gone.
Countless articles have been published, where the use of griefbots was investigated by the responses to validated measures, however, there still is a gap in reaching the bedrock of everyday, uninformed understanding of both AI and griefbots that people experience. People may find themselves aware, as never before, of mental processes encompassing the experience of loss and grief as well as torn between enticing possibility of resurrecting their close ones through the use of a chatbot and aversion to artificial intelligence.
The aim of the thematic analysis is to provide more insight into the laypeople’s perspective on the use and impact of griefbots through the comparison of the use for the chatbot to process grief and for the purpose of mimicking/ impersonating the deceased. Through the thematic analysis of texts we will be aiming to uncover main themes that emerge from the discussions about griefbots in the common, natural setting. Comments and posts on social platforms that matched key words were analysed since, they are believed to provide a natural display of the judgment towards the social trend in question.