Robotic animals are designed to resemble real, living animals, but at the same time, dementia care guidelines and policies often emphasize the value of transparency in relation to robots-people should not be led to believe that robots have capacities that they in fact lack. However, it is not obvious how to separate truth from lies in everyday care practice. Based on participant observations and interviews with certified assistant nurses and nursing assistants in Swedish nursing homes for people with dementia, this article studies how robotic animals become "real" in care practice. The article takes a posthumanist approach to the co-constitution of aging, care, and technology-a perspective that recognizes that not only care staff and nursing home residents, but also robots and other material things, can take an active part in shaping care practice. The analysis results in four typical situations out of which robotic animals emerge as real, living animals: the cuddle, with its simple but dynamic embodied actions; the comfort, where the robot is used as a resource for distraction and emotional support; the conversation, by which robotic animals' agency is both established and challenged; and the adoption, through which narratives and props are used to establish the robot as a pet. Robots cannot lie, at least not by themselves; instead, robots' deceptive potential is enabled by a network of actors, which is why it is often difficult to draw a clear line between lying and care workers' empathic following.

Human Resources (HR) has emerged as a critical target for digital automation, aiming to reduce costs, improve quality, and expedite repetitive processes within organizations. Several literature reviews have explored this topic, yielding mixed results depending on factors related to the specific national and organizational context. They have highlighted issues such as lack of competence, safety and ethical dilemmas, and bias in decision-making processes. However, despite HR being predominantly female dominated, few studies have examined the gendered implications of digital automation in this field. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the gendered implications of digital automation in recruitment processes and work practices within HR. Drawing upon gender theory, we will conduct a critical literature review based on existing reviews to reevaluate current knowledge. The findings suggest that while digital automation can enhance administrative efficiency in recruitment processes, it does not significantly impact the gender balance of the workforce. However, the findings also indicate that digital automation will likely transform the occupational role into a more masculinized way of working. This transformation is characterized by social distancing, technological rationality, and reliance on self-service systems. In conclusion, digital automation is poised to reshape the HR occupation into what we term "screen-level HR," comprising a predominantly female workforce engaged in masculine coded work practices.

While previous research studies have focused on either caregivers’ or residents’ perception and use of social robots, this article offers an empirical and theoretical examination of joint activities in triadic human–robot interaction. The symptomatology of dementia creates an asymmetrical relation wherein the impetus to employ a robot often originates from the caregiver. Drawing on field work and video recorded interactions in dementia care homes, the article investigates how caregivers draw on embodied resources to involve residents and robot animals in interaction. The analysis demonstrates how caregivers promote commitment and encounter resistance with residents. We draw on the theory of sociomaterial interactionism to study situated interaction between bodies in a meaning-generating process. By re-conceptualising the theoretical notions of manipulation and recruitment, the article offers an approach for studying orientations that distinguish between reciprocity of agential objects. We show that caregivers usually distinguish between interactions with people and machines by anticipating a specific response from the robots (manipulation), while they invite participation in a broader sense from residents (recruitment). Social friction arises, however, if caregivers act upon the residents as embodied objects in manipulative ways.

Recent demographic shifts in many parts of the world are presenting a challenge to society. An ageing population requires more care, even as there are fewer people of working age available to provide it. In order to make elderly care more efficient and to cope with staff shortages, various technological solutions have been proposed, including virtual assistants, telepresence robots, video games and – perhaps most unusual – robot animals.

We are delighted to present this interview with world renowned sociologist Eva Illouz. She currently holds the position of Directrice d'Etudes at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris and is the Rose Isaac Chair in Sociology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her research focuses on the interlinkages between capitalism, emotions, gender, culture, love, sexuality, and freedom in the modern world.

This interview primarily centers around Illouz's latest book but also touches on the role of social media in propagating negative emotions, strategies for cultivating emotions such as fraternity and hope to sustain modern democracy, and the contemporary era marked by societal self-destruction and unprecedented catastrophes.