Much of the debate about digital singularities, the loss of human jobs to robots, and the eventual evolution of electronic consciousness focus on intelligence. Computers were originally designed to calculate and sort faster than humans, which are objective criteria. They can be measured so their future can be projected. Many people feel that, regardless of how objectively intelligent a machine can become, they can’t replace humans or be mistaken for them. The Turing Test touches on a possibly more critical subjective criterion. If a machine can artificially replicate emotions and interact accordingly, can they not only take over more jobs, but also become more accepted? Emotions are being programmed now. Interfaces are being developed. We may welcome the robots, not because they are smarter, but because we think they care about us.
“Artificial Intelligence, Real Emotion?” – Slate
Pretending Not To Panic 