Emotional Computing

Author: Picard
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: The world today is vastly different from when I wrote this book. At that time, emotional computing was almost bewildering, with only a handful of computer scientists or engineers willing to invest in it. The idea that computers possess mechanisms similar to emotions is not new—it emerged when the play R.U.R. by CapBrother created the term "robot," but computers with effective emotional mechanisms did not actually exist. Conferences on artificial intelligence either ignored emotions or marginalized them. The concept of emotional intelligence had become increasingly important in psychology and cognitive science, but no one applied it to human-computer interaction. Neuroscience and psychology had long discovered the role of emotions in decision-making, perception, creativity, and other aspects, yet computer science was largely unaware. Many people were unaware that emotions contribute to rational and intelligent behavior, and it was commonly believed that computer emotions were hollow and meaningless—like a layer of frosting on a cake, making it more pleasing to the eye but lacking substance. I am grateful to several colleagues who discussed emotional computing with me at the time. A year before the book was published, I remember researchers from the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory inviting me to speak, as they were very interested in the following questions: How important is it to give computers mechanisms similar to emotions, and why would this be useful for artificial intelligence? Even if emotions bring benefits, would they cause more trouble? The answer was not obvious and needed explanation, and they were very open to evidence on this matter. Some people at the Media Lab and other institutions were willing to listen to my arguments, ask questions, propose their ideas and criticisms, and even collaborate on research, leading to new insights. Some, especially my academic colleagues who had not yet achieved tenure, told me that my ideas were absurd and that pursuing research on machines with emotions might ruin my reputation as a serious researcher. I remember deeply reflecting on whether to continue this research. Frankly, if I had worked in a traditional academic department instead of such a lab, where the leadership, especially Jerry Wiesner and Nicholas Negroponte, often openly praised bold ideas and strongly encouraged risk-taking, I would not have been so wholeheartedly committed to this research. More than five years have passed. Today, it is hard to imagine how I could have felt so afraid back then. The study of emotions in computers has been embraced by many top academic and industrial research laboratories and has attracted significant international attention. Since the book was published, there have been over 20 symposia, conferences, and specific gatherings focused on emotions and computer operations, and emotional computing is often listed as a distinct field of study. I cannot and will not take credit for this change in the world. In fact, truth finds its own path regardless of individual efforts. In the process of pursuing it, we struggle in the dark, searching and striving, and the unchanging truth eventually reveals itself according to its own terms. To try to understand emotions is to try to understand the true nature of things. In the end, we can clearly see the original form of things and understand how artificial intelligence and all human processes work.