Volume CXXXII, Number 5 October 18, 2002 f

Artificial dog elicits real emotions
Courtesy of The Bowdoin Sun

Computer Science professor Eric Chown and his robot dog, Aibo. (Evan Kohn, Bowdoin Orient)

He is made of metal and flashing lights, and he whirrs when he walks, but Aibo, a robotic dog, had the audience "oohing" and "awwwing" as though he were a real puppy at the Faculty Seminar on Wednesday, October 9.

Eric Chown, assistant professor of computer science, came to talk about emotional computers and artificial intelligence. Chown told the audience that Aibo was a little angry, because he wanted attention., and he advised that if Aibo happened to walk by a table during the talk, the appropriate response would be to stroke his ear backward.

Chown has been studying how emotion affects cognition and vice versa, as well as how that comes into play when working with artificial intelligence. Many computer scientists believe that emotions impair reality and hamper decision making, and that robots can never be emotional.

Chown had a different point of view: "Humans rely on information because we don't have sharp claws and big teeth," he said.

Eventually, for computers to go where humans cannot go and do things humans cannot, or do not want to do, they need to be realistic. And they need to react, to some extent, as humans would.

"Emotions are an essential part of what makes us, us," Chown said. In situations when we might be in danger, we need to be able to make split-second decisions. "One important way in which we use our intelligence is emotions," Chown explained. "Rational thought is not an option when encountering a lion."

He listed several questions humans must ask when sizing up a situation: How important is the situation? Is it good or bad for me? Can I handle it adequately? "My thesis is that emotions system provides fast answers to all three of those," Chown said.

Chown divided the emotions into three basic categories: arousal, pleasure/pain, and clarity/confusion. Arousal, the level of excitement or agitation one feels, indicates how important a situation is. Pleasure or pain indicates how good or bad a situation is, and the level of clarity or confusion predicts how competent one is likely to be in handling the situation.

Once someone is aroused, the sensation of pleasure or pain enhances the ability to evaluate the situation. For example, pain usually signifies damage, so feeling pain when someone puts his hand on the stove will cause him to pull it away. Clarity and confusion, even more sophisticated than pleasure and pain, have to do with whether one's internal model matches or contradicts external reality.

To make a computer emotional, Chown said, it needs to be able to categorize input (as arousal, pain etc.), to be able to index how arousal relates to knowledge (when arousal is high, knowledge is restricted), and to act in a way that maximizes pleasure and minimizes pain.

For example, when Aibo hears his name or sees his pink rubber ball, he is aroused.

"He thinks his ball is pretty cool," Chown said. Aibo experiences pleasure when his ear is rubbed backward or his whiskers are stroked, and he experiences pain when his ear is rubbed forward. He can recognize expressions such as "good boy" and "bad dog," which serve to clarify or confuse.

"Does this Aibo have emotions?" Chown asked. "Well, my argument is he is doing the exact same thing that we do."

Aibo interprets stimuli, and those interpretations affect his behavior in ways comparable to humans. His experiences also allow him to further refine his emotional response. In addition, his behavior is also hard to predict, just as it would be with any emotional creature. However, no matter how good Aibo or any other computer is at interpreting stimuli, they will only be as good as their sensors. Developing better sensors, such as lasers and cameras, is a large part of AI research. One of humans' most distinguishing characteristics is our ability to distinguish what we hear and see. "That's the hardest thing that we do," Chown said, "recognizing people and objects."

Regardless of how emotional Aibo is, it was clear he struck an emotional chord with his audience. Many people gathered around to watch him and pet him after the seminar.

"I'm a computer scientist," Chown said, "and I have a hard time doing what I just did-ignoring him."