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About

Jonathan Gratch is a leading figure in affective computing and human-machine interaction, whose research illuminates how virtual humans and social robots can understand, express, and leverage emotion to build trust, rapport, and effective collaboration. As a Research Professor at the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies, Gratch has pioneered the use of virtual humans as a toolkit for cognitive science, demonstrating that these agents can serve as powerful experimental platforms to study social dynamics. His work on rapport shows that socially interactive agents can foster genuine connection, while his studies on self-disclosure reveal that people will open up to computers in ways beneficial to mental health—a finding with profound implications for digital therapy. Gratch has also explored the social functions of machine emotional expressions, showing that even simple displays can significantly improve human-machine interaction. With highly cited papers including “Getting to Know Each Other” (57 citations) and “Rapport Between Humans and Socially Interactive Agents” (31 citations), his impact spans from foundational theory to practical applications in conflict mediation and autonomous vehicle ethics. Gratch’s research not only advances AI but reshapes our understanding of what it means to interact socially with machines.