Emotions as Data (2 min read)

In her paper on "What does it mean for a computer to 'have' emotions?" MIT professor Rosalind W. Picard wrote:

"Animals and people have fast subconscious brain mechanisms that perform high-priority survival-related functions, such as the response of fear in the face of danger or threat [...]This level of pre-conscious, largely innate, but not highly accurate emotion generation appears to be critical for survival in living systems. One can imagine giving robots and machines sensors that operate at a similar level – in a relatively hard-wired way, detecting when the system’s critical parameters are in a danger zone, and triggering rapid protective response..."

Picard recognizes emotions as a source of information.  Rather than something that competes with logic, she envisions emotions as complimentary to the processing power of a cold, calculating machine.

Picard specifically sees fear as an adaptive survival function that computers can use to initiate protective behavior.

Maybe we can appreciate our own fear too.  It feels unpleasant, but it is trying to protect us from something. 

What if we stay open to all emotions and listen to what they have to say?

What if our emotions are a valuable source of data, and even the most powerful computers might benefit from it?

Warm regards,

-Mariya