Robots with quantum minds. From the psychology of fiction to the physical roots of biology (1)
The current contribution offers a non-technical introduction to a scientific publication that formalizes the way people respond to virtual creatures by means of quantum logics. In the future, this model, Quantum Coppélia, may guide the development of robots that can deal with human ambiguity and vagueness.
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The scientific publication is:
Ho, J. K. W., & Hoorn, J. F. (2022). Quantum affective processes for multidimensional decision-making. Nature: Scientific Reports, 12, 20468. doi: 10.1038/s41598–022–22855–0. Available from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-22855-0
Cite the current introductory paper as:
Hoorn, J. F. (December 7, 2022). Robots with quantum minds: from the psychology of fiction to the physical roots of biology [Essay]. Preprints 2022, 2022120114. doi: 10.20944/preprints202212.0114.v1.
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To keep the reading manageable, the original paper was cut into 4 parts, which will be posted successively. Part 1 states its claims to fame and points at the roots of all AI-driven avatars and robots, which is… the Humanities.
Abstract
In this discussion paper, I give an account for non-experts of, arguably, quantum dynamics in the brain, underlying the modeling of affective behavior of humanoid robots in the making. Outreach to the larger audience inevitably leads to abbreviations and simplifications; nonetheless, I try to offer the backgrounds of why it is important to study the virtual aspects of ‘people’ we meet online, what dimensions play a role in assessing such creatures, what humanities, psychology, communication, and computer science provide to help us understand how we become attached to non-existent others. As its capstone for the time being, an approach derived from physics is discussed for a robot to handle emotional ambiguity and vagueness of its user. Two computational models, Silicon and Quantum Coppélia, are discussed for their potential and limitations in explaining human affective behavior while dealing with mediated characters.
1. Silicon and Quantum Coppélia: claims to fame
Like Silicon and Quantum Coppélia (Hoorn, Baier, Van Maanen, & Wester, 2021; Ho & Hoorn, 2022), there are theories about virtual others but they have no mathematical counterpart and are therefore less precise. Like Silicon and Quantum Coppélia, there are computational models of affect but they have undergone but sporadic empirical validation. Unlike Silicon and Quantum Coppélia, none of those models is rooted in the humanities and therefore do not handle the fictitiousness of media. No other model than Silicon and Quantum Coppélia is capable of seeing something good in the bad or something beautiful in the ugly. No other model gives a full formal account of human emotional ambiguity and having vague feelings. Silicon and Quantum Coppélia are the most complete, consider the most factors, and pay ample attention to the fictional side of interacting with mediated others or even with non-mediated others. Coppélia is the only model that handles parallel processes and does not consider psychological dimensions as exclusively bipolar. It is best validated in terms of diversity of virtual creatures, from movie character to robot, using frequentist and Bayesian test theory. It unites the most diverse disciplinary backgrounds, from literary studies to psychology and then on to quantum physics. The model is fully implemented as a software, using fuzzy logics. The model is fully formalized in terms of quantum probability, providing a non-classical basis for biological brain processes and forming a starting point for a new kind of decision theory. Silicon and Quantum Coppélia stand unrivaled. For a verbal explanation, check out Hoorn (April 29, 2021).
2. Nowadays
Fake news, false identities, phishing, word-of-mouth, game addiction; many of us live in a world of virtuality and are confused about what to believe or not (Gaozhao, 2021). Chat bots, avatars, game characters, impersonations; scam artists conjure up false personalities that feature in made-up stories. Whether we believe in a world of gods and saints, of black holes, white dwarfs, and dark matter, or in a world of social-media gossip, humans live in an epistemics of the virtual. All the world’s a stage and as you like it or not, it’s digital and every hoax goes worldwide these days.
3. Humanities
The first syllable in Artificial Intelligence is art. Yet, many researchers of media fare and digital environments ignore the ages of theorizing in the humanities about the amount of fiction in non-fiction novels, the surreal in Medieval painting, the exaggeration of emotions in theater performances, and about the suspension of disbelief. The humanities know what we are dealing with these days and it is called fictional characters.
In literature and theater, characters are analyzed for their moral fiber (ethics: good or bad guys), their attractiveness (aesthetics: beautiful, ugly), and the realism of the depiction (epistemics: realistic, unrealistic). These three dimensions modulate how much a reader or viewer ‘identifies’ with that character and likely believes ‘what it says.’
… to be continued …
Next time, in Part 2, I will discuss the psychology and communication aspects of AI-driven avatars and robots.
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Symphilosophers
陳佳媛 Juliet Jiayuan Chen
Research Assistant in Social Robotics with an interest in Philosophy of Mind
Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence in Design (AiDLab)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/symphilosopher/
Symphilosopher@gmail.com
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洪約翰 Johan F. Hoorn
PhD(D. Litt.), PhD(D. Sc.)
Interfaculty full professor of Social Robotics
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Dept. of Computing and School of Design
www.linkedin.com/in/man-of-insight
jf.hoorn@gmail.com
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References (1)
Gaozhao, D. (2021). Flagging fake news on social media: An experimental study of media consumers’ identification of fake news. Government Information Quarterly, 38(3), 101591.
Ho, J. K. W., & Hoorn, J. F. (2022). Quantum affective processes for multidimensional decision-making. Nature: Scientific Reports, 12, 20468. [Nature portfolio: 5th most cited journal in the world] doi: 10.1038/s41598–022–22855–0
Hoorn, J. F. (April 29, 2021). Robot Alice: The science behind an application that stole the hearts worldwide [Public lecture]. PolyU & You: Online Lecture Series. Hong Kong SAR: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Available from https://youtu.be/Z2oBAJaWHoc
Hoorn, J. F., Baier, T., Van Maanen, J. A. N., & Wester, J. (2021). Silicon Coppélia and the formalization of the affective process. IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing, x(x), 1–24. doi: 10.1109/TAFFC.2020.3048587
