The Breakup Monologues: Artificial Intimacy?
Rosie Wilby records her podcast live in Oxford with Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska, on love and heartbreak in the age of ChatGPT and Claude. Monday 26 October 2026, 7pm.
Photo: Steve Daniels, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Oxford argues about artificial intelligence in lecture theatres, in the Oxford Union and in research institutes. This October the question moves to a music venue on Cowley Road, and it gets more personal: what happens to love when people talk to AI.
The Breakup Monologues is a podcast by the comedian Rosie Wilby, who was dubbed "the queen of breakups" on BBC Radio 4. On Monday 26 October 2026 she records an episode live at The Bullingdon as part of the Oxford Science and Ideas Festival. Her guest is Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska, author of AI Intimacy and Psychoanalysis. They will discuss love and heartbreak in the age of ChatGPT, Claude and other chatbots, and what talking to an AI can teach us about real relationships.
At a glance
| Date | Monday 26 October 2026, 7pm, about 1 hour 15 minutes |
| Where | The Bullingdon, 162 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1UE |
| Tickets | Pay What You Decide, with a free option; suggested donation £7.50 |
| Age | Teenage and adult |
| Format | Live podcast recording |
| Part of | IF Oxford, the Oxford Science and Ideas Festival |
Why this one
Most public events about AI in Oxford are about work, safety or policy. This one is about intimacy: people who confide in chatbots, form attachments to them, or use them to get through a breakup. The festival promises "humour, heartache and of course science", and pairs the evening with another event on trust, truth and versions of reality.
Pay What You Decide means exactly that: you can book a free ticket, pay the suggested £7.50 or give another amount. The festival advises arriving at least ten minutes early, because unclaimed places are released at the start.
Where else Oxford argues about AI
- The Oxford Union. In Hilary term 2026 the Union debated the motion "This House Believes that Artificial General Intelligence Will Be Humanity’s Last Great Invention". Union events are for members and their guests. Read how the Union once let an AI argue for itself in When an AI Argued at the Oxford Union.
- The Oxford Internet Institute. Its student-led Connected Life summit on 25 June 2026 was built around the debate "This House Believes that AI is the Great Equalizer", and the recording is on the institute’s website.
Frequently asked questions
When is The Breakup Monologues: Artificial Intimacy?
Monday 26 October 2026 at 7pm, at The Bullingdon, 162 Cowley Road, Oxford.
How much does it cost?
It is Pay What You Decide. There is a free ticket option, and the suggested donation is £7.50.
Who is speaking?
Rosie Wilby, who presents The Breakup Monologues, and Dr Agnieszka Piotrowska, author of AI Intimacy and Psychoanalysis.
Can teenagers come?
Yes. The festival lists it for teenage and adult audiences.
Sources
- if-oxford.com, The Breakup Monologues: Artificial Intimacy?
- theoxfordblue.co.uk, Oxford Union term card, Hilary 2026
- oii.ox.ac.uk, Connected Life 2026: New Intelligence, Old Questions
- oxford-union.org, general FAQs
This is an independent guide compiled by the Oxford Society for its members. We are not affiliated with, nor the organiser of, this event. Booking and official information live on the organiser's website, linked above. Dates and programmes can change, so always confirm on the official site before making plans.
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