AI – Changing News and Emotions?

EMOTIONAL: "I have feelings too", Sophia the robot claims. This may have consequences, researcher Deborah G. Johnson warns. PHOTO: Stephen McCarthy/Web Summit via Sportsfile/Flickr

"I see the development of technology that can recognize emotions as something that can influence what kind of stories that are told, and how they're told", Deborah G. Johnson said at this yeat's ViSmedia conference.

FROM THE US TO NORWAY: Professor and ViSmedia researcher Deborah G. Johnson shared her research about AI in the Aula. PHOTO: Robert Nedrejord.

Deborah G. Johnson was one of three researchers who flew in all the way from the US to speak at this year's ViSmedia conference, "Watching in the Media". University of Bergen wrote an article about the event.

Johnson continued:

"News media can be capable of collecting detailed information about how readers and viewers react emotionally to stories, which they can use to change and custom make news for readers and viewers, to make them respond the way they want".

Johnson is researching human implications by machines programmed to express emotions. Among other things, she's concerned about what consquences these intelligent machines may have for privacy.

"I'm worried that people will relate to each other in ways that mimic robots' representations of feelings. Representations of empathy, like how a robot's face moves, can become what we consider empathy, and all we expect, even from humans. Himans may not care about whether there is a person behund the expression of empathy.".