Imy Khan, Ph.D.

Hi, I’m Imy Khan: a researcher primarily working on artificial life, artificial intelligence, and human-robot interaction.

I’m mostly interested in nature (or bio-)inspired intelligence, social and affective cognition, cybernetics (or self-organising, adaptive systems), and the intersection of all of these things.

For instance, why do social (biological) agents demonstrate better adaptability than non-social agents? What is happening “under the hood”? Why did “emotions” evolve the way they did, and how do they affect our ability to adapt? Can these things give us clues about how to build truly intelligent, adaptive artificial intelligence?

This also extends to our relationships with artificial systems (like robots): can we truly form “social bonds” with robots the same way we do with other humans? How does this influence our long-term health, and the way we socially interact with these artificial systems?

These (along with dozens more) questions are what I like to explore, using whatever tools that are available to me.

Though I mostly work independently, I hold a number of affiliations: currently an Affiliated Researcher at DICE Lab at the University of Gothenburg (Sweden), and a visiting lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire (UK). I also provide consultancy services for private institutions and government organisations in various AI-related areas.

I also try to maintain some public outreach activities for the artificial life community: you can read more on my about me page.