Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Podbit · Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Lena Dunham

Explore episode May 26, 2026
Technology
Would You Have a Robot in Your House?

Lena Dunham · May 26, 2026 Technology

Lena says she'd anthropomorphize the robot too much and spend her emotional energy worrying about it. Amy says she'd be fine with one until it killed her. Neither is in a rush.

Where this was said

Robots, Cathexis, and Hot Takes Continued

At 55:55 · chapter starts 55:40

The hot-takes segment continues into the question of domestic robots, where Lena introduces the word 'cathect' — to invest emotional or mental energy into a person or object — surprising and delighting Amy, who stops to define it for the audience. Lena's concern: she would anthropomorphize the robot completely, and therapists would say they'd had an episode of cathexis. Amy's counter: she'd be totally fine with a robot in the house, right up until the moment it killed her. Neither is in a rush to find out.

Similar podbits