Steve Loughnan

Australian Psychological Society, University of Edinburgh

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About

Steve Loughnan is a leading researcher in social psychology, whose work illuminates how people perceive the minds of others—from humans to artificial intelligences. His key research areas include dehumanization, moral psychology, and the psychology of artificial intelligence. Loughnan’s major contributions center on understanding how we attribute mind and moral status to different entities, and the consequences of denying these qualities. His highly cited work, “It Don’t Matter If You’re Black or White?” (2013, 44 citations), explores the subtle ways racial dehumanization persists, challenging assumptions about post-racial attitudes. More recently, his groundbreaking research on “Robots, Chatbots, Self-Driving Cars” (2025) provides the first systematic investigation into how people perceive mind and morality across diverse AI systems, revealing critical insights for trust and responsibility in human-AI interaction. This work is already shaping debates in AI ethics and policy. Loughnan’s research is notable for its real-world impact, informing how we understand prejudice, moral judgment, and our evolving relationship with technology. His work consistently bridges fundamental psychological theory with pressing societal issues, making him a vital voice in contemporary social science.