The Laws of Artificial Companionship

The Future of Technology and Society Discussion Group is pleased to host Mauricio Figueroa Torres (NewCastle University) to discuss his work on artificial companionship. 

In this presentation, Mauricio will analyse the legal and societal implications of AI companionship technologies. Drawing from a sociolegal perspective, the talk will examine the unique harms posed by affective human–AI interactions and argue for an expanded legal framework that better addresses these emerging relational dynamics, beyond data protection and AI regulation. 

Mauricio Figueroa (figuerres.net) is a legal researcher focusing on Law and Digital Technologies. He has published journal articles and book chapters on technology regulation and has taught different university courses throughout his career. Figueroa holds an LL.M. from Tel Aviv University and has conducted PhD-level research at Newcastle University Law School in the UK. He graduated from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), where he has also taught undergraduate and graduate courses in the School of Law. He has delivered guest lectures at institutions such as Delhi University and Jindal University in India, as well as the LL.M. program on AI and Law at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Beyond academia, he has accumulated years of experience as a public officer, first in the realm of digital policy and procurement in Mexico City and later in Mexico’s Ministry of Science and Technology. Figueroa is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Society for Computers and Law (SCL), where he also serves as host and co-producer of the podcast series Privacy and Technology Laws Around the World.