Joanne Pransky

Find out about the next evolution of robots and how to stay human in a nonhuman world with Joanne, whose life mission is preparing the public for the inevitable future when robots are our partners, companions, and colleagues.

World’s First Robotic Psychiatrist Dubbed as the ‘real-life’ Susan Calvin’ by Isaac Asimov in 1989, Joanne Pransky, the World’s First Robotic Psychiatrist®, prepares the world for the human-robot relationship. Joanne has been tracking the robot evolution for over three decades and is a burgeoning voice in the now-official field of human-robot interaction.

She was the senior sales and marketing executive for a major industrial robot manufacturer, was one of the co-founders of the first medical robotics journal, The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery, and has been an associate editor for Industrial Robot Journal for the past 25 years. Joanne has consulted for some of the industry’s top robotic and entertainment organizations including: Robotic Industries Association, Motoman, Staubli, KUKA Robotics, STRobotics, DreamWorks, Warner Bros., as well as for Summit Entertainment’s film “Ender’s Game” in which she brought never-seen-before medical robots to the big screen. Most recently, she consulted for the documentary film featuring the humanoid BINA48, who became the first robot/AI in the world to complete a college class. Joanne was also an official judge on the television show Comedy Central Sports Presents BattleBots and has appeared on numerous other television shows and film documentaries to discuss the emotional aspects and psychological implications of a robotic society. She also extensively speaks and publishes on this topic nationally and internationally.