Automating Empathy, a short film exploring the emotional complexities of artificial intelligence, has won Best Sound Design at the .
Led by Andrew McStay, Professor in technology and society and Vian Bakir, Professor in journalism and political communications, the film is part of , funded by EPSRC’s initiative.
The film was produced by Stephen Elton, Dave Elton, Conor Flanagan, Maria Figueiredo, and Ben Bland, and advised by the project AEGIS team - Andrew McStay, Vian Bakir, Alex Laffer, Phoebe Li, and Ben Bland.
Automating Empathy brings to life the ethical challenges posed by AI companion technologies, such as chatbots designed to simulate empathy, and aims to explain in simple terms what it means to ‘automate empathy’.
Professor Andrew McStay explains, “For the past couple of years, we’ve been working on international guidelines to help shape how powerful AI systems, like AI companion chatbots, should be designed and governed. These guidelines are meant to set boundaries for both developers and policymakers. This film brings those issues to life, showing just how complicated and compelling these technologies can be.â€
Professor Vian Bakir added, “We hope this film helps people understand that when AI chatbots seem to empathise with us, they’re not actually feeling anything. They can create a very convincing illusion of care, whether it’s an AI ‘girlfriend’, ‘boyfriend’, or digital companion, but it’s just an imitation. Humans, especially children, are naturally inclined to treat lifelike technology as if it has real feelings. If we’re not careful, we risk becoming emotionally attached, overly dependent, or sharing far too much personal information with something that cannot truly care, nor have our best interests at heart.â€
Watch the film here
Image © Automating Empathy – Possibilities, Illusions and Hazards of Human-Machine Intimacy