Giving Robots CompassionCindy Mason

cmason@steam.stanford.eduwww-formal.stanford.edu/~cmason

Conference on Science and CompassionTelluride, Colorado 2012

C. MasonConference on Science and CompassionTelluride, Colorado 2012

Knowledge Transfer in SocietyKnowledge translation (KT) is the process by which new knowledge is transformed into information that benefits society through changed policies, behaviors, programs, or practices. KT is a systematic process that begins with collecting and analyzing the latest research findings. Then, research-based recommendations are made regarding best practices and treatments. Finally, this synthesized and translated knowledge is promptly and effectively disseminated to those who need it.

“The long term goal of knowledge translation is measurable improvement in people's health.” Frank Moss, MIT

http://www.msktc.org/Knowledge-Translation

PRELUDE

Why Design Robots and Device Interfaces For Compassion? It Rubs OFF!

SociatyHealth

HappinessEconomy

Human to HumanContact

Our Symbiotic Relation With Gadgets Influences Human-Human and Society(1)

-Neuroplasticity -High rate of user frustration, Anger and aggression (2).-Positive mental state linkedTo positive health, cognitionsAnd relations (Davidson, etc.)-Lack of compassion linkedTo psychopathic and sociopathic behaviors (3)

1. Nass, C. & Moon, Y. (2000). Machines and mindlessness: Social responses to computers. Journal of Social Issues, 56(1), 81-103. 2. Riseberg, J., Klein, J., Fernandez, R., Picard, R.: Frustrating the user on purpose: Using biosignals in a pilot study to detect the user’s emotional state. In: CHI. Los Angeles (1998) 3. http://scan.oxfordjournals.org/content/2/2/84.full Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci (2007) 2 (2): 84-92. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsm001

C. MasonConference on Science and CompassionTelluride, Colorado 2012

C. MasonConference on Science and CompassionTelluride, Colorado 2012

Us

E-Readers

Glasses, Canes,

Watches

Cell Phones

Lap Tops

Video Games

Phone Menus

ATM

Robots

GPS

Car

We Are Surrounded!

The Emotional Intelligence of our Gadget Interfaces becomes central as Humans and Technology are intertwined now and in future.

For decades gadgets were designed for use without much human interaction.

We now interact verbally and non-verbally in a human-machine symbiosis.

China and the US have more mobile phone subscriptions than people!(1)

(1) "ITU releases latest global technology development figures" (aspx). ITU. 2012-08-09.

FACT: More people have gadgets than healthcare. This means that positive affect in human-machine interaction promises to globally widen both cognitive and physical health at all social levels.

C. Mason, Giving Robots CompassionConference on Science and CompassionTelluride, Colorado 2012

Psychopaths’ brains show differences in structure and functionNovember 22nd, 2011 in NeuroscienceS. Begley, Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves, Ballantine Books, New York, 2007.

Images of the brains of prisoner’s who are convicted of murder, show important differences between psychopaths and non-psychopaths – the parts of the brain associated with emotional callousness and anti-social behavior.

-The Ventromedial prefrontal cortex the is responsible for sentiments such as empathy and guilt.-The amygdala mediates fear and anxiety. -These two areas are important communicate in processing empathy and in perceiving the mental and emotional state of others. Reduced in psychopaths(1).-Designing UI for compassion is important because the brain is adaptive (plasticity) and repetitive social and emotional behavior influence us (2).

The Brain Structure of Psycho-killers

C. MasonConference on Science and CompassionTelluride, Colorado 2012

Us

Readers

Online Education

Glasses

Cell Phones

Lap TopsVideo Games

Phone Menus

ATM

Robots

We Are Surrounded!

The Present: We are surrounded individually and collectively with interfaces devoid of emotional intelligence.

• Devices have No guilt• No emotion• No awareness of effect on people or

other software/hardware• No algorithms to enforce positive

social behavior• No knowledge of importance of

emotions among programmers• Languages and tools for programmers

to support knowledge representation and reasoning, perception and expression, etc. are sparse.

ARE WE USING PSYCHOPATHIC DEVICES?

C. MasonConference on Science and CompassionTelluride, Colorado 2012

Neuroplasticity

• Neuroplasticity (Brain Plasticity) describes our brains natural ability to change its circuitry to compensate for birth defects, damage, disease, or the bad habits of unintentional programming. 

• We’re participating in the wiring of our brains every waking moment -  either accidentally or intentionally.

• Brain changes and creates new connections our whole life, not just when we’re young. Its more like a muscle.

• We change the brain based on repeated stimuli, accidentally or intentionally..good habits or bad habits.

• Image shows effect of brain training program called Lumosity.

.

C. MasonConference on Science and CompassionTelluride, Colorado 2012

Lumosity and Neuroplasticity

• Changes in frontal-parietal activation and math skills performance following adaptive number sense training: preliminary results from a pilot study. Neuropsychol Rehabil. 2011 Aug;21(4):433-54. doi: 10.1080/09602011.2011.578446. Epub 2011 Jun 30.

• Further studies relate to short term memory, focus of attention, etc.

C. MasonConference on Science and CompassionTelluride, Colorado 2012

The Dalai Lama Was Right – Without CompassionWE ARE DOOMED!

The Biophysical Case for Compassion

• Rate of wound healing is affected by negative emotion (deVries, et al. 2007)

• Warm contact relates to lower cardiovascular reactivity (Kiecolt-Glaser, 2005)

• Brain glucose metabolism is affected by psychosocial stressors (Kern et al., 2008)

• Positive motherly affect increases creation of neural stem cells in hippocampal axis (governs short term memory) and expression of genes regulating stress response (Meaney et al., 2001)

• Positive cognitive state influences positive immune response and vice versa (Azar, 2001; Davidson et al., 2003; Wager et al.,2004).

Mason, C., Affective Computing and Interaction: A Psychological, Cognitive and Neurological Perspective, International J. Synthetic Emotion, June 2012.

C. MasonConference on Science and CompassionTelluride, Colorado 2012

The World’s Economic, Social and Political Psychopathy Nightmare

Domestic Violence:War School ViolenceWorkplace ViolenceBullyingAnimal AbuseChild AbuseEarth - Pollution

Economic Dimensions of Compassion

C. MasonConference on Science and CompassionTelluride, Colorado 2012

How Do We Give Machines Emotional Intelligence (EIQ)?

Common SenseBig Data Together Japan is in the LeadRobot CompanionsElder CareEntertainmentHealthcare??? (the neuroplasty connection)

• No

“If you ask, how do I know how you feel? There are different routes: the affective route involving empathy and compassionand another route, the perceptive, through knowledge based on inference.”

We could use a world wide guideline for user interface design.

C. MasonConference on Science and CompassionTelluride, Colorado 2012

HOW TO CREATE COMPUTER PROGRAMS WITH COMPASSIONATE INTELLIGENCE?

INSERT EOP STUFF HERE

C. MasonConference on Science and CompassionTelluride, Colorado 2012

A COGNITIVE ARCHITECTURE FOR A SOFTWARE AGENT WITH COMPASSIONATE INTELLIGENCE

C. MasonConference on Science and CompassionTelluride, Colorado 2012

How Do We Give Machines Emotional Intelligence (EIQ)?

Common SenseBig Data Together Let the problems or applications tell us what to do Japan is in the LeadRobot CompanionsElder CareEntertainmentHealthcare??? (the neuroplasty connection)

• No

“If you ask, how do I know how you feel?There are different routes: the affective route involving empathy and compassionand another route, the perceptive, through Sensing and knowledge based on inference.”

We need A world wide guideline for user Interface Design.

Tania Singer during her presentation at the Mind and Life XXVI meeting at Drepung Monastery in Mundgod, India, on January 19, 2013.

C. MasonConference on Science and CompassionTelluride, Colorado 2012

MANY ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

LAW OF ROBOTICSROBOT SOCIOLOGYROBOT PSYCHOLOGYCULTURESOCIALEMOTIONALSUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE OF OBJECTS

Studies focused specifically on the power of new Technologies to redefinie temporal and spatial boundaries of interactionsAnd explore the prorssive merging of human and artificial elements in defining contemporary personal and social identity (De Souza e Silva, 2006)

Social psychological methodology showed that ordinary people attribute human-like traits to those objecs that have specific interactive and communicative capacitiesAnd recognize them as legitimate participants in social exchange. SoTechnical objects such as answering devices, robots, computers and Software agents transform social interaction.