Abstract
Empathy is a key differentiator in Nigel Cross' model of Design as a third discipline, and has become established as a vital component of both research and practice. Yet agreed definitions of empathy in design remain elusive, and the roles it should play have been questioned and problematised. Recent developments in the capabilities of Large Language Models have generated discussion of the possibility of both simulated and actual empathic behaviour by artificial intelligences. In this paper we gather and synthesise relevant philosophical debates on the nature and operation of AI-empathy. Concepts of alterity in the work of Martin Buber and Emmanuel Levinas are deployed as a lens to illuminate key aspects of the challenge which the emergence of AI-empathy provokes for design. Ultimately we reflect that this challenge may be the stimulus required to compel design research to properly engage with the question of empathy in design.
Keywords
Empathy, Artificial Intelligence, Alterity
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2191
Citation
Sinclair, M., and Buwert, P. (2026) AI and Thou: empathy, artificial intelligence and alterity in design, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2191
Creative Commons License
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Included in
AI and Thou: empathy, artificial intelligence and alterity in design
Empathy is a key differentiator in Nigel Cross' model of Design as a third discipline, and has become established as a vital component of both research and practice. Yet agreed definitions of empathy in design remain elusive, and the roles it should play have been questioned and problematised. Recent developments in the capabilities of Large Language Models have generated discussion of the possibility of both simulated and actual empathic behaviour by artificial intelligences. In this paper we gather and synthesise relevant philosophical debates on the nature and operation of AI-empathy. Concepts of alterity in the work of Martin Buber and Emmanuel Levinas are deployed as a lens to illuminate key aspects of the challenge which the emergence of AI-empathy provokes for design. Ultimately we reflect that this challenge may be the stimulus required to compel design research to properly engage with the question of empathy in design.