Several movies like Fritz Lang's "Metropolis", Spike Jonze's "Her" and Alex Garland's "Ex Machina" feature love stories with robots. But in real life, would this kind of romance be possible? Is it scientifically possible to fall deeply in love with an artificial intelligence machine? Yes, say researchers from Toyohashi University of Technology and Kyoto University, who have just published their findings in the journal Nature.
To reach this conclusion, the scientists analyzed by functional MRI ("a technique based on magnetic resonance imaging that allows to detect the areas of the brain activated in a task, a process or an emotion", explains the site Imagilys ) the empathy that 15 volunteers could develop towards humans and robots, in painful situations where they cut their finger.
Their observation? The tested sample was able to develop a strong empathy in front of the robots' images, similar to those they harbored for humans. A good thing, says Michiteru Kitazaki, one of the authors of this research:"Empathy with robots as well as with other human beings promotes altruism and can therefore facilitate prosocial behavior", he says. On the other hand, as the Futura Sciences site reminds us, other experts are more hesitant on the issue, such as the researcher in ethics of robotics at the University of Montfort in Leicester Kathleen Richardson, who expresses her concern vis-à-vis of the development of sexbots, sex robots (some preferring the company of humans).
Ok, we admit that we could fall for a robot that looks like Jude Law, like in "A.I, Artificial Intelligence". But from there to being completely "in love"...
