#emotional-ai

#emotional-ai

Held from November 3 to 8, 2025, the Department of Industrial Design at Seoul-based Hongik University presented its annual Graduation Exhibition under the theme 'The Use of Uselessness: What If.' Moving beyond conventional purpose-centered design, the exhibition serves as an open dialogue between function, emotion, and culture, challenging students to find creative value in concepts that exist beyond conventional utility.

In a classic study, one-year-old babies were placed on clear plastic near the edge of a " visual cliff " that made it appear that the ground drops away and they could fall. Their mothers were placed on the far side of the cliff and the babies looked at their facial expressions to determine if there was danger. If the mothers expressed positive emotions, most babies would cross over the cliff.

It's 10 a.m. on an October morning, and I'm in the middle of a one-on-one Zoom interview when a sudden trilling sounds from behind me. I try to ignore it, but several other strange noises follow. My eyes glaze over as I commit myself to feigning complete obliviousness to my sonic surroundings. It's easier than explaining that the noises are coming from my AI-powered pet.

Klinkert embraced the idea and pursued it academically, ultimately earning a Master of Interactive Technology in Digital Game Development from SMU Guildhall. His early passion for interactive media has since evolved into a cutting-edge research focus. Now a PhD student in the Computer Science Department at SMU's Lyle School of Engineering, Klinkert is exploring how large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, can be used to create non-playable characters (NPCs) that act and respond more like real people, with consistent personalities and believable emotional responses.

Yanked out of your world, and the digital universe, by a system update, certain dedicated users found that their digital relationships had taken a significant step back.