Valerie Lapointe
Psychologist & Researcher
Speaker
Valerie A. Lapointe is a PhD candidate in Psychology at the Université du Québec à Montréal, and is funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture. She is also a student member of the International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of AI and Digital Technologies.
Her research examines how generative AI is reshaping sexuality and intimate relationships. Specifically, her work focuses on the social, psychological, and relational implications of AI-generated pornography and human-AI relationships, such as their effects on social isolation, well-being, consent, and sexual representations. She is also interested in the regulatory challenges posed by these technologies. She is actively involved in public conversations on these topics, having been featured in over 20 media outlets, including The Economist, CBC, TVA, and BRUT. As part of her work as research coordinator in the Laboratory on Virtual Reality, Sexotechnological Tools, and Sexual Health, she has also contributed to nearly a dozen projects exploring how virtual reality and artificial intelligence can be used to assess and treat sexual and romantic difficulties. Overall, her work has resulted in 15 publications in sexology and psychology journals and numerous presentations at national and international conferences.
Valerie is also a co-developer of the international conference on Sexuality and Generative AI (2026), which aims to bring together multidisciplinary perspectives to examine the risks, benefits, and pathways forward as generative AI becomes increasingly integrated into intimate life.