One of the greatest difficulties for programmers is to make artificial intelligences (AI) able to demonstrate the minimum of empathy with whoever is on the other side of the screen. That little tip of what we, in flesh and blood, call feeling.
With that in mind, therapist Scott Sandland created an “artificial empathy”, Cyrano.ai, which, allegedly, is able to listen and understand people like no other.
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According to him, it is a way to make the person feel heard. In addition, it is among his proposals that the bot use welcoming communication and have active listening – just like humans do.
"Empathy is not just being sad if someone else is sad, it's wanting to help," explained Scott Sandland in an interview with the website. Tilt/UOL. “If you've had a bad day, saying 'I'm sorry' is sympathy; saying 'how can I make it better?' is empathy. We want the system to consider our feelings, state of mind, priorities, and values. And help solve relevant problems”, he added.
Hands-on
As published by UOL, this model of AI “empathetic” is already being applied in some real situations. One of them is assisting car dealers.
Technology can understand the intention of customers and help with the best approach for the professional. This means that it suggests the most appropriate way to approach the potential buyer based on the person's profile.
It also gives a suggestion of which car the buyer might find most interesting based on understanding the buyer's lifestyle.
And it's been working, see? The new technology made 26% more sales – and, importantly, in 44% less time than a human employee.
Artificial intelligence with feelings for therapeutic purposes
As a therapist, Scott thought of “artificial empathy” as a modern aid to counseling. Of course, she will never replace a psychologist - this the creator himself recognizes.
However, he believes that AI can be used in other tasks that complement the therapy, such as facilitating support groups and offering some form of remote support.
Graduated in Social Communication at the Federal University of Goiás. Passionate about digital media, pop culture, technology, politics and psychoanalysis.