Book contents
- Empathy and Artificial Intelligence
- Studies in Emotion and Social Interaction
- Empathy and Artificial Intelligence
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- AI and Empathy at a Crossroads
- Part I Understanding Empathy
- Part II Perceiving AI Empathy
- Part III Beyond Text: Embodiment and Robots
- Part IV Moral Implications
- Chapter 20 Contemporary AI and the Value of Empathy
- Chapter 21 Can Empathy Guide Ethical AI?
- Chapter 22 Does AI Need Empathy in Medicine?
- Chapter 23 AI in Healthcare
- Chapter 24 AI, Empathy, and Moral Status
- Chapter 25 AI Should Develop Human Empathy, Not Replace It
- Chapter 26 Practical Capacities, Empathy, and Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence
- Chapter 27 Stories of Empathy
- Index
- Studies In Emotion and Social Interaction
- References
Chapter 25 - AI Should Develop Human Empathy, Not Replace It
from Part IV - Moral Implications
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 September 2026
Book contents
- Empathy and Artificial Intelligence
- Studies in Emotion and Social Interaction
- Empathy and Artificial Intelligence
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- AI and Empathy at a Crossroads
- Part I Understanding Empathy
- Part II Perceiving AI Empathy
- Part III Beyond Text: Embodiment and Robots
- Part IV Moral Implications
- Chapter 20 Contemporary AI and the Value of Empathy
- Chapter 21 Can Empathy Guide Ethical AI?
- Chapter 22 Does AI Need Empathy in Medicine?
- Chapter 23 AI in Healthcare
- Chapter 24 AI, Empathy, and Moral Status
- Chapter 25 AI Should Develop Human Empathy, Not Replace It
- Chapter 26 Practical Capacities, Empathy, and Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence
- Chapter 27 Stories of Empathy
- Index
- Studies In Emotion and Social Interaction
- References
Summary
Empathizing with another is perhaps the most human emotion of all and a long shot from the cold calculations of vectorized tokens that drive the inner workings of contemporary LLMs. This chapter looks beyond the questions of what to make of AI-generated “empathy” and instead asks whether AI can be used to develop our capacities for genuine human empathy. Empathy is not a static trait, instead capable of growth and development, and this paper explores whether AI can and, more importantly, should be used to increase one’s empathy. Nothing in principle stands in the way of AI improving our empathy, but the possibility raises unanswered questions about whether such an approach would be effective or would backfire in unexpected ways, such as encouraging the commodification of empathy as a technological tool that can make companies money, rather than a fundamental part of the human experience.
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Empathy and Artificial IntelligenceChallenges, Advances and Ethical Considerations, pp. 241 - 248Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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