Cruel Optimism, Lucid Despair, and Precarious Hope in HRI

Paper in proceeding, 2026

HRI 2026 takes place amid profound socio-political turbulence marked by rising authoritarianism, the consolidation of technological power, and the expanding use of robotics for warfare. These global conditions create an affective atmosphere that seeps into our field: a mix of attachment to techno-determinist and technosolutionist narratives, unease with ‘business as usual,’ and a tentative search for alternatives. As HRI scholars and designers, we recognize how the wider socio-political tensions resonate within our own practices, shaping what we take to be possible, necessary, or inevitable in research and design. In this half-day, in-person workshop, we mobilize three affective orientations - cruel optimism, lucid despair, and precarious hope - as resources for reflection, critique, and experimentation. Through short provocations, discussions, and a speculative group activity, participants will be invited to inhabit these affects to question dominant narratives that sustain HRI, confront systemic challenges, and collectively explore alternative trajectories for research, design, and community building.