Sobremesa Tech: Parasocial Relationships
Are synthetic connections still real?
You know that influencer who just gets you? Whose voice feels like a friend’s, whose opinions hit harder than your own, and who—despite never knowing you—still makes you feel seen?
What if that connection isn’t just one-sided… but one-fabricated?
In the first edition of Socratic AI, we’re exploring the strange emotional territory of parasocial relationships and their AI-powered evolution. From Replika companions to digital twins of loved ones, we’ll ask: If the grief is real, does it matter if the relationship wasn’t?
Our guest speaker, Henar León, will kick off the session with a provocation. Henar is Head of Innovation at PRISA Audio, a researcher and educator exploring the intersection of culture and emerging technology. With a background in psychology, futures studies, and years of experience in digital transformation across creative industries, Henar brings a uniquely human lens to technological shifts—particularly those that blur the lines between intimacy, identity, and interface.
Then, we open the floor. The public will interrogate the ideas. No slides, no panels—just live, open-ended debate. Truth, if it exists, may or may not emerge.
Together, we’ll explore:
Whether feelings toward AI companions are “real” feelings, or if we need new language to describe this emerging class of connection
How AI-powered relationships might be a symptom—or solution—to modern loneliness
If synthetic influencers and AI chatbots are a new frontier of intimacy, or just another iteration of the projection game we’ve always played
The ethics of emotional design, the risks of data intimacy, and the rise of “Death Tech” and digital afterlives
And ultimately: Does it matter if it’s human, if it feels human enough?
Come ready to question identity, agency, and the boundaries of intimacy in a world where algorithms optimize not just content, but connection.
Oh and yes, the ticket does include a drink 🍻