Cynthia Breazeal
TL;DR Cynthia Breazeal is a pioneering robotics researcher known for shaping the field of social robotics and advancing human-centered AI systems.
Cynthia Breazeal is one of the defining figures in social robotics. Her work explores how robots can communicate, collaborate, and form meaningful interactions with people. As both a researcher and an innovator, she has pushed robotics beyond mechanical functionality toward emotionally aware, socially intelligent systems that operate naturally alongside humans.
Cynthia Breazeal is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she founded and leads the Personal Robots Group at the Media Lab. She has spent decades studying how robots can understand human behavior, express emotion, and build trust in everyday settings. Her research combines engineering, psychology, and design to create robots that respond to people in intuitive and empathetic ways.
She is widely recognized for developing Kismet, one of the earliest robots capable of expressing lifelike social cues, and later Jibo, the first major consumer social robot designed for home use. Her work spans education, healthcare, and personal assistance, with a focus on building AI systems that support human wellbeing and enhance daily life. Through research, entrepreneurship, and policy engagement, she continues to advance the role of socially intelligent machines in society.
Founder of the Personal Robots Group at MIT Media Lab, shaping the field of social robotics
Creator of Kismet, a landmark robot demonstrating expressive emotional behavior
Chief scientist and co-founder of Jibo, the first consumer social robot for the home
Pioneer in human-robot interaction, blending engineering, psychology, and design
Leader in applying social robots to education, healthcare, and personal assistance
Global voice in responsible and human-centered AI, influencing research and policy
