Ewald Lutcher

Maroc Numeric Cluster, Munich University of Applied Sciences

Papers

Total Citations

156

H-Index

About

Ewald Lutcher’s research lies at the fascinating intersection of social neuroscience and artificial intelligence, exploring how the human brain perceives and interacts with non-human agents. His most influential work, an fMRI study on “How do we think machines think?” (128 citations), investigates whether the brain’s mentalizing network—typically reserved for inferring the mental states of fellow humans—can be recruited when we attribute intentions to an AI. This foundational contribution challenges assumptions about the uniqueness of human social cognition. Lutcher also pioneered the use of humanoid robots in clinical neuroscience, as demonstrated in his study of young adults with autism (28 citations). By showing that these individuals engage brain regions for social processing when interacting with robots, his work provides a neural basis for using artificial agents in cognitive therapies for social disorders. Lutcher’s research not only advances our understanding of how the mind distinguishes between human and machine, but also offers practical pathways for leveraging AI in therapeutic interventions, making him a key figure in the emerging field of neuro-robotics.