Artificial Emotion: A Survey of Theories and Debates on Realising Emotion in Artificial Intelligence

MCML Authors

Michelle Schlicher

→ Group Björn Schuller
 Health Informatics

Björn Schuller

Prof. Dr.

Principal Investigator

Health Informatics

Abstract

Affective Computing (AC) has enabled Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems to recognise, interpret, and respond to human emotions - a capability also known as Artificial Emotional Intelligence (AEI). It is increasingly seen as an important component of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). We discuss whether in order to peruse this goal, AI benefits from moving beyond emotion recognition and synthesis to develop internal emotion-like states, which we term as Artificial Emotion (AE). This shift potentially allows AI to benefit from the paradigm of `inner emotions' in ways we - as humans - do. Although recent research shows early signs that AI systems may exhibit AE-like behaviours, a clear framework for how emotions can be realised in AI remains underexplored. In this paper, we discuss potential advantages of AE in AI, review current manifestations of AE in machine learning systems, examine emotion-modulated architectures, and summarise mechanisms for modelling and integrating AE into future AI. We also explore the ethical implications and safety risks associated with `emotional' AGI, while concluding with our opinion on how AE could be beneficial in the future.

misc

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Preprint

Aug. 2025

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Authors

Y. Li • Q. Sun • M. Schlicher • Y. W. Lim • B. W. Schuller

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Links

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Research Area

 B3 | Multimodal Perception