Will computers ever be able to show human emotions?

No emotions for the empty, heartless, little computers.

To show emotions, you must first feel them. Suppose I was feeling happy, but I decided to tell my friends that I was depressed. I might even use facial expressions and body language to do this. But really, all I'm doing is acting and pretending. I am not showing an emotion I am simply pretending to do so.

Computers can really only pretend. They can't feel anything, they only follow logical sequences of code that tell them when to "act" depressed, or happy, or angry.

You can't truly show an emotion without first feeling it.

DISCLAIMER
This is an organized debate. Statements
made here are not necessarily the opinions of
the participants

Yes, computers will one day be able to show emotion.

How do you know that humans are capable
of showing "human emotion"?
You may have feelings, but how can you prove it
to me? If I interpret your communication of
your "feelings" as evidence that the feelings
are really there, why should I refuse to believe
the computer when it tells me that it too has feelings?

Since I cannot experience your feelings, or the computer's
feelings, I can only either judge by the quality of the
communication, or base my judgement on the
dogmatic assumption that The computer can't have
feelings because it is not "like us", not "alive",
"not a member of my race",etc.
:cool:

NO, computers will NEVER be able to show human emotions...

You can't SHOW human emtions with out FEELING them. Every human on the planet Earth is capable of showing HUMAN emotions. They're not called computer emotions, software emotions, or anything else. They were created and designed for HUMANS. The only reason that a computer would have emotions would be if a human programmed them into it or designed some type of software for that purpose. You can only experience your own feelings but that dosen't mean that you can't read and understand some one elses. Emotions are a form of communication between humans, not computers. Alcatraz beat me to it but that was the foundation of my post here. I couldn't agree more with this quote:

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You can't truly show an emotion without first feeling it.

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In responce to your question preacherman, NO..

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If a computer shows emotions by displaying certain icons and/or changing the color scheme of its screen is that computer not showing emotions ?

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Displaying certain icons, changing the background, or changing the color scheme isn't a way of my computer expressing an emotion. That's just what I was refering to earlier. The only reason a computer would have an emotion would be "IF this then (emotion) BUT IF that then (other_emotion)".. That's just a program, application, or script telling the computer to respond to certain environments and variables that I tell it to. It's not a reaction or response of it's own.

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To feel, something is an inner, subjective state. To show emotions is to give demonstrable outward expressions and signs.

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Ok so how do you think the computer would express an emotion? It would come from some where INSIDE the computer. From an application, program, or script that exist inside the computer. A computer wouldn't shead a tear at a funeral and it's not going to shake your hand and congraduate you on a job well done. You can run test on 1000s and 1000s of people and you'll still have different definitions of what each emotion means and how they are expressed. Computers will have a limited definition of them and methods of expressing those emotions.

Remote_Access_

Yes, computers will be able one day to show emotions.

When I have a "feeling," what is it really? Isn't it just the way my body perceives the complex interaction of hormones and other chemicals? Isn't it the result of the interactions of different sets of nerves? When it comes right down to it, isn't our ability to having "feelings" dependent on electrical impulses and chemical reactions? Aren't the things we call feelings just the end result of biochemistry? How can you be sure that one day these things won't be able to be duplicated by scientists? Perhaps one day the "Data" of Star Trek the Next Generation will be a reality. If the argument is that computers can't have emotions because they don't "feel" them inwardly, I submit that one day scientists will be able to emulate our human chemical reactions and electrical impulses and enable our "Data" prototype to "feel" the same things we do. A computer driven robot with the same chemical processes and nerve make up should "feel" what we feel.

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You can't SHOW human emtions with out FEELING them.

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you can't know what it's like to be in space without being there.... but it can be simulated. in the same way, computers will be able to simulate an emotion and from there our human brain will interpret it as that said emotion. many things have been simulated, even to the point were reality and simulation can not be told apart, flight simulation, car simulation, space simulation, simulated drunkenness, the list goes on forever.

have you ever asked a friend why he or she is down, only to find out the said person is not down at all? this is a lack of ability to comunicate a said emotion. the person my feel very happy, but not express it well... this is a case of not showing a felt emotion. so couldn't this situation be reversed, showing with out feeling?

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Emotions are too complex for computers to comprehend and most humans

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i agree... everyone understands an emotion differently... this is why i said this....

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. if a computer had sensors to collect the data of results of actions... ie. optical, audio, and such.... it could be programmed to respond to it accordinglyto learn when certain emotions are appropriate, much as we all did as little children. throw in an algorithym and a random for irrational emotional response, and you have an emotion showing computer. it would feel bad when you lose your job, it would be happy when you won the lottery. the only difficult part would be telling the system what these things are (love, happiness, sadness, anger) because they are different for everyone. but if people came up with a general concensus (say a group of 1000 test subjects) and then that info was fed to the computer, it could come up with its own definition, just as many of us did at a young age...

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i hope that covers your point. we already know computers are beginning to "learn" take that and kick it up a level... in time it could be done.

Yes, Computers will be able to show emotion. I notice that a few people have commented that a system based on logic would be incapable of displaying emotion. That is debatable in itself, but I ask that we look to the future, to the realm of the Qubit. At the moment computers are based on the Binary system, i.e 1 = yes, 0 = no. However, scientists are harnessing the power of quantum mechanics and using this to their advantage. Basically, a quantum computer harnesses the spin of an electron and also Heisenberg's Uncertainty principle. Put Simply, they set the computer working on a problem, but never look at exactly what it's doing. Hence, it looks at all possibilities at once (think Schrodingers Cat). So there we have it, a massively powerful computer: a simple 2 Qubit computer is already more powerful than any computer (including super computers) in the world. So computers will have the processing power to work out every possible response to a set of stimuli in an instant, surely then Emotions being felt and displayed will be a piece of cake.

NO, computers will NEVER be able to show human emotions...

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When I have a "feeling," what is it really?

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OK, we've all read the definition of emotions. Let's see what dictionary.com defines feeling as.
Note: These definitions can be viewed at dictioary.com by searching for "feeling" but not necessarily in the same order.

Feel Pronunciation Key (fel)
v. felt, (flt) feel·ing, feels

1.) a. To perceive through the sense of touch: feel the velvety smoothness of a peach.
b. To perceive as a physical sensation: feel a sharp pain; feel the cold.

2.) a. To touch.
b. To examine by touching. See Synonyms at touch.

3.) a. To undergo the experience of: felt my interest rising; felt great joy.
b. To be aware of; sense: felt the anger of the crowd.
c. To be emotionally affected by: She still feels the loss of her dog.

4.) To produce a particular sensation, especially through the sense of touch.

5.) To produce a particular impression; appear to be; seem: "It feels good to be home."

6.) To be conscious of a specified kind or quality of physical, mental, or emotional state: felt warm and content; feels strongly about the election.

a.) To seek or explore something by the sense of touch
b.) To have compassion or sympathy: "I feel for him in his troubles."

7.) Overall impression or effect; atmosphere: “gives such disparate pictures... a crazily convincing documentary feel” (Stephen King).

8.) Intuitive awareness or natural ability

Emotions are more complex than that of biochemistry. But let's say that that's all it is for the moment. Biochemistry is the chemical composition of a particular living system or biological substance. So wouldn't that eliminate the possibility for a computer to be classified as having feelings and emotions? Emotions and feeling are a natural ability, not something that can be programmed into a computer.

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it would feel bad when you lose your job, it would be happy when you won the lottery...have you ever asked a friend why he or she is down, only to find out the said person is not down at all?

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Haha, that's rediculus. Do you think your computer or robot is really going to give a **** whether you lose your job or win a million dollars? No, of course not. Yeah, I've asked plenty of my friends why he/she is down and 99% of the time, they are. It's not that hard to tell when a friend is down. If they say they're not and obviously they are, then it's not the lack of my ability to communicate with a said emotion. It's just them not wanting to express their emotions. A computer would not have that option. If computers could show emotions they would have to all the time. They wouldn't have the ability to chose when to express their emotions. They don't have the option to keep their emotions to their selves without expressing them because they are defined by logic. Showing, feeling, and expressing emotions are not. They are more complex than what you think and it's not a piece of cake.

Remote_Access_

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it would feel bad when you lose your job, it would be happy when you won the lottery...have you ever asked a friend why he or she is down, only to find out the said person is not down at all? it would feel bad when you lose your job, it would be happy when you won the lottery...have you ever asked a friend why he or she is down, only to find out the said person is not down at all?

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change feel to display... my bad.

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It's just them not wanting to express their emotions. A computer would not have that option. If computers could show emotions they would have to all the time. They wouldn't have the ability to chose when to express their emotions. They don't have the option to keep their emotions to their selves without expressing them because they are defined by logic. Showing, feeling, and expressing emotions are not. They are more complex than what you think and it's not a piece of cake.

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you misunderstand. the computer will not have the said emotion. it will reflect or display a false emotion in order to reflect the way it should feel assuming it could. it will be nice to you, even fond of you (in some demented sense of the word) i agree that emotions are complex and that the computer will not feel them... but i think a computer can be programmed to show an appropriate emotion to a said situation. as i said before... all through the learning capacity that is being developed... once ai takes effect, emotions will be an even simpler sset up.

logic would work anyway becuase the system would not feel. it would display appropriate emotions instead. it would prolly be more appropriate then what some people are feeling due to the fact that it would respond logically to the information, something human emotion fails to do.

NO, computers will never be able to show human emotions.

Computers will never be able to show human emotions because they are not human. We humans are living creatures, we have been created over millions of years and we are all unique. There may be billions of us on the planet, but no two people are exactly the same. Computers, on the other hand, are all basically the same. If we talk about one model of a computer, it will always produce the same output when provided with the same input (unless you are running Windows, anything could happen then... :) ).

'How is this related to emotions?' you ask. Well, since we are all unique, we react to situations differently. If two people are in the exact same situation at the exact same time, I can assure you the feelings they have, the thoughts that are running through their minds, the reactions they take will all be different. Put a couple of computers under the same circumstances, they'll do exactly the same thing.

I read an article recently in The Age (Melbourne newspaper) and something from it stuck in my mind and is perfect for this thread:

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Mr Bullock also predicts a computer which could replicate human brain processes may be developed in the next 10 years.

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The entire article can be found here: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/20...909877745.html

If you look at this quote from the article, you notice the word 'replicate'. Computers will be able to 'replicate' human brain processes. You see, we humans do not replicate how we feel. Everytime we feel something and think something it is different to how we thought of felt before. It's always different. It may feel the same, but there are always slight difference.

For example, when we meet our mum at the airport who we haven't seen for 2 years, we feel great happiness and joy (or something similar). Say she leaves again, and like 5 years later we go to pick her up again and she's been away for 2 years again. We also feel happiness and joy, however, we do not feel exactly the same. There are always differences, they may be big or small differences, but there's always something.

If you put a computer in a situation like this, they will 'replicate' what they have been taught. They will 'replicate' what they have been programmed to do. They have had no choice in how they feel. Yeah, there might be some 'IF' statements, but is that choice?? :) No, that's just telling it how to think. Wheras ourselves, we don't need someone to tell us how we feel.

Computers will never be able to have human emotions. Us humans have an infinite amount of emotions, you could never in your lifetime describe all of them perfectly. If all our moods were to be explained by words, JP's 'mood' feature would be an infinite combo box that would struggle to run on all storage devices available. You cannot write a program for a computer that never ends now can you? Computers may be able to match our brain power, but they will never be able to feel what we feel.

Greg

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we have been created over millions of years

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that is one theory.... but only a theory... no theory on the beginning of life has become "accepted"

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If you put a computer in a situation like this, they will 'replicate' what they have been taught. They will 'replicate' what they have been programmed to do. They have had no choice in how they feel. Yeah, there might be some 'IF' statements, but is that choice?? No, that's just telling it how to think. Wheras ourselves, we don't need someone to tell us how we feel.

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the question here is can they replicate an emotion... not can they feel emotion. sure humans feel all sorts of emotions and don't have to be told what to feel... yada yada yada.... but that has nothing to do with the question. the question was, can a computer be told what to display as a human emotion. and simply that answer has to be yes.

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If two people are in the exact same situation at the exact same time, I can assure you the feelings they have, the thoughts that are running through their minds, the reactions they take will all be different. Put a couple of computers under the same circumstances, they'll do exactly the same thing.

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i see what your point is, but what does that have to do with the question. it didn't ask if computers would be able to have emotions based on what it felt nor did it specify that the emotions it displayed would have to be different from the next computer. you are dealing with complex issues that really have nothing to do with the situation. basically a computer could be programmed that when certain things were input into the system it would react a certain way. if we added sensors to computers that would allow it to monitor the world around it, it could be given a program to say "express x emotion when y thing happens"

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You cannot write a program for a computer that never ends now can you?

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again i see your point but.... could you write a program to cover basic emotions.... sya 15 emotions... the answer would be yes. you could tell a computer to react a certain way to certain input wth 15 possible outcomes. it doesn't have to even include degrees of the said emotions, because the computer isn't feeling them, just expressing them. say you programmed a puter to be happy when a user played solitaire... you could express this with a smiley background and the like. i think that the specification of "human" emotion is just a clarification, because no other animal has the brain capacity to understand or feel emotion. they can learn through habit, but they can not have emotion. but your dog sure acts like he loves you... well that is learning through habit. this could then be implimented on an ai machine.... learniung through habit... no real program then. and then the outcome could be infinite as you said.