Emotions in a Computer???

[Robbo]

Can a PC really get PMT and moan at ya????

It's an unsettling thought because it provokes many questions, scientific, philosophical and even moral questions flood out when you first ponder this subject.

In essence, we are discussing whether or not, the programming can become soo sophisticated that the computer that hosts the program in question, might well be able to feel emotions.

Now, I am not sure if you have to specifically write algorithms designed to provoke emotional responses, or emotions are but an emergent property of an extremely complex program ...either way, it's food for thought and food for discussion.......

 

[jagerpirate]

I'm sure I read somewhere that humans are essentially organic computers. So in that sense yes a computer can ge PMS, at least a female one can, a male one can just get grumpy.

As for electrical computers, I'm not so sure, I mean it sure feels like they do, who knows what the next advancment in AI will be.

 

[John C]

Computers are missing a key part of the emotional response which is autonomy/creativity.

It is just reacting to its inputs, in a pre defined manner.
All its responses have been conceived by somebody else. Thats not emotion in my book.


As a computer system becomes more complex, they are often harder to understand.
Which leads us to bestow human properties upon them. In the same way we do with pets.

The reality is while a computer can do certain things far better than us, such as accounts or equations.
Other things we humans find so easy like creativity and free thinking, computers simply cannot do.

They are dead inside, like Paris Hilton.

 

[Codiak]

The closest you could probably get to "near free thinking" would be to randomize the selection of already pre-defined responses in the code. this would make machines appear to have a mind of their own if you had two or more side by side and they reacted differently to the same situation / input.

 

[Bon]

Whislt programmed emotional responces would not be classed as real emotions as they are only responding to a specific variable, if a computer program got to the point where it could write its own code to expand and become sentiant and respond to new unprogrammed variables, then yes they would be classed as real, as the program could decide if it wanted to display those emotions or not.

 

[TEKLOFTY]

Sentience is required for true emotions, once computers have that then sure - but by that point a whole bunch of other questions will need to be asked.

 

[Pmr Man]

surely it would need an input . by that i mean would it would understand what was happening and what would it respond to.

 

[Robbo]

Computers are missing a key part of the emotional response which is autonomy/creativity.

It is just reacting to its inputs, in a pre defined manner.
All its responses have been conceived by somebody else. Thats not emotion in my book.


As a computer system becomes more complex, they are often harder to understand.
Which leads us to bestow human properties upon them. In the same way we do with pets.

The reality is while a computer can do certain things far better than us, such as accounts or equations.
Other things we humans find so easy like creativity and free thinking, computers simply cannot do.

They are dead inside, like Paris Hilton.

John, I think we need to view AI as an emergent property here; I think the notion that we can program a computer to be happy or sad is nonsensical but I do know this much mate .... I think whenever we look at complex systems, whether they be organic or electronic, it is just a matter of complexity as to when those systems becoming sentient.

It hasn't happened yet as far as we know in a digital sense, and that last statement is quite important because if your research is being funded, then if a computer does become self aware, the last thing those people in charge of that research are gonna do, is announce it to everyone ....think about it mate, those people would have in effect, a device worth zillions.
Not in itself, but because of what it could produce.

And so, if we assume for the time being it hasn't been achieved, I am proposing, computers will eventually experience emotions (or approximations to emotions) when the nature of its programming becomes sufficiently complex to provoke an emergent property of what we call consciousness.


Just how the computer will let us know it can think is another topic ......it's intriguing stuff because the psychology books will have to be rewritten everywhere to accommodate the 'nature' of a computer's personality ....hmmm...mind bending stuff indeed !

 

[Robbo]

surely it would need an input . by that i mean would it would understand what was happening and what would it respond to.

Hi Pmrman, I don't think it does need an input here because when it (computer) becomes sentient, it is for all intents and purposes, independent of any input...in terms of its own thinking I mean.

I think what you are getting at is, its interaction with the world, rather than its internal train of thought, and for that, it would require stimulus of some kind, yes.

As to the nature of what it would respond to?
I suppose it could be communicated via machine code or even the keyboard if it could be taught to not only recognise words but also to understand them.

Once a being (computer in this case) is sentient, it can also learn..and the problem for us then is, which is the easiest way to communicate with it.
If this point is ever reached, the sky's the limit for what we could do .....

 

[Devrij]

I don't know if any of you are into anime, but I once watched Ghost in the Shell 2 on a plane and found it interesting. It basically explores this exact type of situation in the future, and the converse (where humans have software upgrades and electronic enhancements etc.). Where is the line drawn between man and machine? Besides being an interesting watch it's also full of excellent violence and cartoon boobs. I recommend it.