When AI becomes part of everyday life

For three months, Dr. Inês Terrucha, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Duisburg-Essen, is joining the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Amsterdam as a Fellow. The fellowship brings together international researchers to explore pressing societal questions in an interdisciplinary setting.

For Terrucha, the stay is more than an academic exchange. It is an opportunity to study one of the most subtle, yet far-reaching questions of our time: how artificial intelligence is reshaping everyday human interaction.

When AI becomes a social connection

In her research at the Chair of Human Understanding of Algorithms and Machines (HUAM), led by Prof. Nils Köbis, Terrucha investigates how interactions with AI influence human behavior, decision-making, and well-being. Her work focuses on a simple but profound observation: “AI doesn’t just connect us to each other; it connects with us.”

During her IAS Fellowship, she examines whether interactions with AI – such as asking a chatbot for advice – resemble what social scientists call weak ties: brief, everyday encounters that nevertheless play an important role in shaping well-being and a sense of belonging.

“Whether AI supplements or replaces these interactions will have very different consequences,” she explains. “The question is not just what AI can do, but how it changes the way we relate to others.”

Bridging experiments and real life

To answer these questions, Terrucha combines controlled behavioral experiments with experience-sampling methods that capture how people actually use AI in their daily lives.

This dual approach allows her to move beyond abstract debates and provide empirical insight into how AI becomes embedded in everyday routines. Her research connects closely to broader efforts at RC Trust to understand how emerging technologies influence trust, cooperation, and social dynamics.

At the same time, the fellowship strengthens the international dimension of the Center’s work. Terrucha collaborates with Prof. Shaul Shalvi (University of Amsterdam) and an interdisciplinary network spanning social psychology, behavioral ethics, and data science.

A public discussion in Amsterdam

As part of the fellowship, Terrucha will present her work in a public event:

Titel: Artificial Intelligence: the new tie in our social networks
📅 12 May 2026, 12:00–14:00
📍 Institute for Advanced Study, Amsterdam
👉Register here

The talk explores how AI is entering our social networks–not just as a tool, but as a form of interaction. It raises questions that resonate far beyond academia: Does AI strengthen human connections, or does it quietly replace them?

Research in an international context

Terrucha’s stay in Amsterdam highlights the importance of international exchange for advancing research on complex societal challenges. At RC Trust, such collaborations are seen as essential for developing a deeper understanding of how AI shapes human behavior across different contexts.

For early-career researchers in particular, fellowships like this provide the space to connect disciplines, test new ideas, and translate scientific insights into broader societal debates.

Looking ahead

When she returns from Amsterdam, Terrucha will bring back new perspectives on how AI is becoming part of everyday life–and how societies can shape this transformation.

Because one thing is already clear: AI is no longer just a technology we use. It is becoming part of the way we relate to the world–and to each other.