Academic Background
Dr. Shane Saunderson is an Assistant Professor of Information Systems with the Degroote School of Business at McMaster University. He holds a PhD in robotics with a specialization in psychology from the University of Toronto, a MBA in technology and innovation from the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University, and a B.Eng. in mechanical engineering from McGill University. He is a former Vanier scholar and Junior Fellow with Massey College.
Research Interests
Shane’s research interests focus on human interactions with social machines, with particular interests in topics such as trust, persuasion, and anthropomorphism. He is the Director of the Research on Artificial Persons (RAP) Lab, which investigates the psychological, organizational, and social implications of interacting with humanlike technologies. These artificial persons – anthropomorphic robots, chatbots, digital avatars, and other social AI agents – are increasingly occupying a new ontological category in our collective consciousness, somewhere between inanimate objects and living beings. This interdisciplinary research leverages a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods to better understand the human perception of and behaviour around artificial persons to aid their ethical integration into our world.
Industry Experience
Shane’s academic perspectives are coloured by his wealth of industry experience. Previously, he founded Artificial Futures, a digital strategy and user experience firm for the age of AI. He was the VP of Technology with Idea Couture, a strategy & innovation consultancy, where he consulted for a variety of Fortune 500 companies such as Ford, Samsung, Eli Lilly, lululemon, and many more. He is an experienced entrepreneur who has founded or supported several technology startups, such as Babbly, an AI-powered infant tech company. Shane has participated in various industry groups, including chairing the Microsoft Canada Artificial Intelligence Partner Advisory Board (aiPAB).
