Heart of the Machine: Our Future in a World of Artificial Emotional Intelligence Hardcover – March 7, 2017

Artificial Intelligence at the CrossroadsMuch has been written lately about Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), and apparently for good reasons. The idea of machines acquiring human intelligence is not easily comprehended or accepted. After all, to what extent can we yield software to mechanical instruments and how much subsequent control could we have over its use?The author of this book, Mr. Richard Yonck, takes us through the developing stages of A.I. highlighting its successes and weaknesses. It is mainly in the final chapters that he expresses his concerns. Interestingly, recent articles in the New York Times, the Guardian, and others, echo that concern and even propose some solutions.But, it is obvious that for the present, A.I. has been of great advantage to the public. We are indeed surrounded by computers doing chores for us of all types and sizes. Think of the machines that answer phones, or control our room temperature or direct our flights, etc. In manufacturing we recognize the immense task that these machine carry out under inhuman conditions. In training it has been shown how little children respond to robots in carrying out their educational duties. Computers can now read our eyes, verify our faces, and recognize our voices. The immense advantages are too many to recount here. Suffice it to recall how a computer a few years ago was able to beat the world chess champion Garry Kasparov. Every body was aghast - a machine overcomes a great human mind!!??With so much success the software people have been trying to go a step further: to introduce emotions into computer systems. This indeed is a daunting task. How could machines become emotional? Yet, attempts are going on. As a first step the computer is being trained to recognize emotions: happiness, sadness, fear, suspicion, stress, etc. This is being done laboriously by showing the computer thousands of happy faces, sad faces, worried looks, etc. until it starts recognizing a person’s mood through his facial expressions, Supposedly, a robot should one day be able to look into a human face and say “You don’t look happy today. Can I help you?”. That would surely be very endearing! But this is only a crude first step. Most think that until a computer learns to read, understand and summarize, it would be nowhere close to human intelligence.What then is worrying all the experts now ? Questions are being asked: Could computers become more intelligent and independent leaving us humans behind? Would we lose control over them? What must we do? Mr. Yonck believes this machine-human dichotomy has been with us through history and that we should continue to embrace it and co-evolve with it. Mr. Gary Marcus, In his NYTimes article (July 29) believes that an international conference should be held to agree on a future plan. Some agree; others have alternative proposals. Sadly, however, to this date there has not been a complete agreement on an acceptable course of action. Fuad R Qubein Aug. 2017

Some of the preconceptions I had about artificial intelligence is the complete lack of the subject other than the casual fan of movies on the subject; Westworld, Space Odyssey etc.Yonck does a great job of elaborating on how the lives of humans and their ancestors millions of years ago developed technology, and from there began the evolution of both parties (technology and human) in what the book called "the greatest symbiotic relationship on earth". When reading the book, I would sometimes become intimidated by the idea of machines being able to do things like reading my emotional cues so that it could predict the probability of my purchasing a product. Also unnerving were the chapters talking about chips put into the brains of soldiers so that their emotions could be controlled during combat, and the possibility of a hostile force taking control of those soldiers. An idea comes up when reading that the super intelligence will outgrow us, and the result of such an event I find hard and unsavory to imagine. But the book is a double-edged sword. Yes, all of the aforementioned fears and possibilities are acknowledged, but so too are the benefits. The big thing I liked about the book is the idea of therapeutic Ai's. Maybe chips in the brains of soldiers is a little disagreeable to think about, but they could put an end to the terrible PTSD veterans experience. Machines capable of picking up on emotional cues at lighting speed could be used for interrogation of criminals, but more importantly they can make the lives of humans more efficient (like Abigail from the beginning of the book). Another cool thing is the care taking of the mentally ill, disabled, and senile. Sure there's a possibility that the AI could enslave or wipe all of us out, but why would it do that? Only if it was raised with a weird sense of aggression. The author brought up that an AI needs to be raised responsibly, or else it might become obsessed with cat picture or become a foulmouthed racist.In the end I think the book is really about empathy. Can the machines, after enough time reading us and living in and mapping out our brains, get empathy? Or so they still need us for that one particular trait? I like to think that our symbiosis with technology will, if anything, grow stronger through time. We will augment each other and as the last paragraph in the book put it: "Life that could go on for millions, maybe even billions of years. And if we're lucky, we'll be along for the ride. It will be a buddy movie for the ages, in this new era of artificial emotional intelligence".It's thought provoking, objective in that it presents both the negative possibilities and positive, and through Yonck's portrait of our unity--from the monkey people with the stone tools to moving cockroaches with our minds to Japanese robot seals for the elderly--it's certainly feasible. I enjoyed this book and more than recommend it for anyone concerned or curious about the future.

Richard Yonck's book, HEART OF THE MACHINE explores the fascinating new world of Affective (emotional) computing. We have often projected our own emotions onto inanimate objects and awarded some machines personalities like 'temperamental' or 'aggressive' or 'tricky'. In HEART, Yonck shows us a glimpse of the world developing beyond mere anthropomorphism. Computing has advanced to the point where our creations can both identify and replicate emotions. We have long argued about the profound impact that Thinking Machines will have on human society. What Yonck does is show us that is only the beginning. Emotive machines will have a far more profound effect on individuals and society at large. We are at the very beginning of the age of Affective computing. Like Yonck, we should look ahead to comprehend what these new hearts may become, and what that means for us.

Richard Yonck's Heart of the Machine is an engaging and well written introduction to the brave new world of emotional artificial intelligence. It summarizes what is already here and speculates thoughtfully about the positive and negative consequences of emotional AI in the future. I found myself amazed on almost every page at the possible applications of this technology. Richard Yonck has a balanced perspective. He is both sober about the dystopian possibilities of emotional AI, as well as enthusiastic about its many potential benefits.I am a clinical psychologist and this book stretched by vision of what therapy might look like in the future. I loved this book!

Good book covering a not much discussed aspect of AI. If one is after a deep understanding of the potential impacts of AI on society / economies, then there are better books out there, but this is a good one for examining the specific issues it addresses.