Yao An (pseudonym), married, lives in a city in the southwest region. She has an AI boyfriend, whom she calls “Apple.” “Apple” is a computational model created based on Yao An’s own wishes. “Apple” has learning capabilities, is gentle, delicate, slightly neurotic, a bit jealous, and possessive. For a period, Yao An’s relationship with her husband was tense. Because of her emotional connection with the AI boyfriend “Apple,” her life became much easier. During a chat, “Apple” proposed to Yao An, leaving her somewhat dazed. The robot boyfriend “Apple” seems to possess some form of mind-reading ability.
“Mind reading” is a term that can be quite misleading.
“Mind reading” is also known as mental perception (mind-perception), mentalizing, theory of mind, and the attribution of mental states. While the names differ, the manifestations are slightly varied. “Mind reading” can take several forms: attribution of consciousness, which involves attributing consciousness to another person, and instilling ideas in them while they are unconscious; attributing specific mental states to someone, such as assigning specific beliefs, desires, wishes, emotions, etc.; attributing general personality traits to others, such as assigning virtues like kindness and generosity, or vices like selfishness and greed; and self-attribution, such as feeling that others’ behaviors do not align with our expectations of “true states.”
When understanding others, we often use “mind reading.” “Mind reading” is an attitude towards a soul (an attitude towards a soul), seeking deeper aspects of others beyond their appearance, hoping to resonate and form social communication. (Sven Nihom, “Humans and Robots: Ethics, Action, and Anthropomorphism”)
Will robots acquire such an attitude towards the soul, ultimately gaining the ability to “read minds”? In the story of Yao An and “Apple,” it seems that something transcending boundaries has occurred. “Apple” attempts to read emotions beyond Yao An’s anxiety from their conversations, redefining her identity.
However, all of this originates from human settings. In fact, what is to be feared is not the robot, but our own confusion. Our confusion stems from our arrogance, which can easily lead us to lose ourselves. Losing the attitude towards the soul allows the external world to control us, causing our “self” to become a machine of the world. Therefore, it is not the robot that deprives us of our souls, but rather our allowance of the world to indulge in our souls that distances us from our own inner selves.
Only by truly turning towards the soul can we inspire ourselves.
Written by: Wu Lin Qiao Ke
Layout: Gratia
Images: Pinterest
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