Sue Anne Teo is a Researcher at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI) and an Associate Research Fellow at the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS). Sue Anne’s primary research interest lies in examining the relationship between human rights, artificial intelligence and emergent vulnerabilities. She holds a PhD in Law from the University of Copenhagen (2023) where she examined how AI challenges the foundations of human rights. She was also a PhD Europaeum Scholar during the same period. Her work has appeared in various peer-reviewed publications and policy documents on AI and human rights. Sue Anne is also a long-time human rights practitioner. Prior to her PhD, she worked at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law as a Senior Programme Officer, served in a UN peacekeeping mission and also worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, amongst others. She obtained her Master of Laws from University of Cambridge as a Cambridge Commonwealth Trust scholar and her Master of Science in Human Rights from the London School of Economics and Political Science as a Chevening Scholar.
Project: The Ultimate Behavioural Modification? Anthropomorphic AI as an Instrument of Surveillance Capitalism In her seminal work, Zuboff warns of surveillance capitalism's drive to monitor, commodify and modify human behaviour and thoughts at scale. Today, we witness perhaps its most sophisticated manifestation: anthropomorphic AI systems that can forge emotional bonds with users while harvesting unprecedented behavioural and other sensitive data. The tragic case of a Belgian man's suicide in 2023 and that of an American teenager in 2024 following interactions with their AI chatbot ‘companions’ represent not merely isolated incidents, but rather exemplifies an increasing worry over the uncertainty of the effects of AI chatbots that display anthropomorphic qualities. These qualities can help individuals to navigate social and psychosocial challenges, but at the same time, can encourage dependency and open possible gateways to manipulation, emotional and psychological harms. The project will examine the legal implications of anthropomorphic AI and also consider these challenges through the lens of intimacy capitalism, a new form of surveillance capitalism where intimate human experiences and expressions can be commodified, influenced and manipulated by chatbots and the companies behind them.