The Next member of Cynthia Breazeal’s household might be a robot. Later this year, she is releasing her latest creation, Jibo, a “social robot” that she sees as both an assistant and a companion.

Dr. Breazeal, the 48-year-old founder and director of the Personal Robots Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, is known for her pioneering work in technology with social intelligence. She created her latest product for a private company that she founded, also called Jibo, where she is chief scientist. It...