Unit 5 Additional Lecture: Blurred Lives—Cognition and Feelings in Human–AI Interactions

Artificial intelligence, also known as AI, is the ability of a program to think, store information, perform human tasks, and learn from experience. The domain of artificial intelligence has significantly evolved over the past decades, founding applications in almost every field of individual and collective lives. Computer systems able to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages, are now informing our daily routine. The constant improvement of this technology has recently taken a leap in the direction of generating empathic AI: artificial machines programmed to interact with users’ emotions. But is it really possible to develop an empathic artificial agent? Can users in their turn develop an emotional engagement with artificial beings? The present essay analyzes the most recent developments in the field of human–AI interactions in order to provide tentative answers to these questions.