What You Need To Know About Rebuilding Empathy Through Technology
Will Artificial Intelligence (AI) change the world in the same way electricity changed the world?
Consider the world before and after the electric current. People who were once limited by available daylight now worked longer hours with the availability of artificial light. Manual labor was replaced with machinery which then triggered assembly lines and mass production. The convenience of refrigerators and electric clothes washers led to more free time at home. Radios provided a means of quickly spreading information and entertainment to mass markets. Electricity wholly and fundamentally changed our lives.
So, is that what’s happening with AI today? We currently have self-parking cars and streaming movie services that know what we like. These advances in AI are rapidly leading to self-driving vehicles. The algorithms that learn your taste in movies are leading to self-learning robots. Similar to what happened with the availability of electricity, we continue to push technology to make our lives easier and presumably better. However, if AI is going to truly transform the way we live, work, and play we must begin exploring Emotional AI. Not only machines that think, learn and act as people, but also machines that convey empathy.
Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor and author with a lot of insight into empathy. In this short video by RSA, she says “…empathy fuels connection…” and “…what makes something better is connection.” As technology becomes more integrated into our lives there is a growing concern about the gap created in personal and emotional experiences. Rather than bettering our lives our technological advances are beginning to make our lives worse. Through social media, families and friendships are lost over callous statements and outlandish disagreements. Pocket-sized electronic entertainment has replaced quality time with family and friends. Our connections have shifted to quantity over quality and empathy has been lost. But it doesn’t have to be.
Pandora Cybernetics envisions a world where technology fuels empathy which builds connection and make our lives better. Our technology recognizes, conveys, and responds to how you are feeling. What we have created opens the doors to building more personal experiences everywhere we use technology … which is EVERYWHERE. Imagine you are looking for a new car and the salesman follows you around the lot asking, “What brings you here today?” “What kind of vehicle are you looking for?” “What features do you need?” Just thinking about this is probably making you a little uncomfortable. While that salesman is trying hard to build a personal connection, it is usually missed by the fact that we are annoyed by car salesmen. Now imagine walking through the lot while technology captures what models excite you, what colors you are repeatedly drawn to, and what features you look for. You complete your stroll around the lot independently then magically the sales staff knows what you want and your car buying experience quick and painless. Not life changing. But, certainly the beginning of emotional intelligence in technology.
Will AI change the world in the same way electricity changed the world? Not without Emotional Artificial Intelligence. In the future, emotionally intelligent technology will help bring empathy and sincerity into our lives making technology more comfortable … more human … more connected.
Jennifer Gilbert is Co-Founder of Pandora Cybernetics, a small company that is dedicated to bringing the Emotionally Intelligent computer systems to the Retail and Advertising markets. Their revolutionary new TeleMetriX Impact Optimization Engine is designed to use Emotional feedback to influence your customer’s purchasing decisions by personalizing the buying Experience. Check them out at www.pandoracybernetics.com
