Kate Darling is a research scientist at the MIT Media Lab, where she investigates social robotics and conducts experimental studies on human-robot interaction. She's a leading expert in robot ethics, the author of The New Breed, and an award-winning TED speaker addressing the impact of technology on humanity.

Dr Kate has a background in law and economics and intellectual property. She formerly served as intellectual property policy advisor to the director of the MIT Media Lab. Her passion for technology and robots has led her to interdisciplinary fields. After co-teaching a robot ethics course at Harvard Law School, she began to work at the intersection of law and robotics, focusing on legal and social issues.

Dr Kate regularly publishes articles about robot ethics and how to prepare for the coming age of automation. Her work has been featured in many publications, including The New Yorker, WIRED, The Atlantic, The Guardian and Forbes.

She also speaks and holds workshops covering some of the more exciting developments in the world of robotics and where we might find ourselves in the future.

Dr Kate graduated from law school with honours and holds a doctorate of sciences from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) and an honorary doctorate of sciences from Middlebury College.