Viktor Kewenig

University College London, University of Potsdam

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Viktor Kewenig is a researcher at the intersection of cognitive science, philosophy of mind, and human-robot interaction. His work critically examines the boundaries of social robotics, particularly the role of intentionality versus consciousness in human-robot relationships. In his most-cited paper, "Intentionality but Not Consciousness: Reconsidering Robot Love" (2019, 5 citations), Kewenig argues that robots can be perceived as intentional agents capable of eliciting genuine emotional responses—such as love—without requiring consciousness. This challenges prevailing assumptions in robotics and ethics, suggesting that our social bonds with machines are psychologically real even if the machines themselves lack subjective experience. His earlier commentary, "Robots As Intentional Agents: Using Neuroscientific Methods to Make Robots Appear More Social" (2018, 3 citations), published in *Frontiers in Psychology*, proposes using neuroscientific tools to design robots that more effectively trigger social-cognitive mechanisms in humans. Though his citation counts are modest, Kewenig’s work is conceptually bold, bridging phenomenology, empirical psychology, and AI ethics. He offers a nuanced perspective that is increasingly relevant as social robots become more integrated into daily life, making him a thoughtful voice in debates about the future of human-machine intimacy.