Last week we all watched in awe as the IBM computer, Watson, trounced two of Jeopardy’s finest. This event has been much heralded but it is worth stopping for just a minute to reflect on the experience of watching Jeopardy those three nights. I had no trouble rooting for Watson, feeling disappointed or embarrassed when he missed a question and chuckling when he displayed any behavior that seemed the least bit human. I knew the whole time, on one level, that Watson is a computer. On another level though, I bonded with him and felt a good deal of emotion regarding his success.
MIT Prof. Sherry Turkle recently released a book entitled Alone Together. She was also interviewed recently on TechCrunch. Turkle puts forth the view that technology is a poor substitute for interaction with a human being. However, she notes that when technologies (robots, relational agents and the like) respond to us, they push “Darwinian buttons,” prompting us to create a mental construct that we are interacting with a sentient being. This brings a host of emotions to the communication including affection. Turkle makes an argument that in the realm of human relationships this phenomenon is unhealthy for our species.
I’d like to bring in principles from behavioral psychologist, Robert Cialdini, who has authored several books on the psychology of persuasion. Cialdini offers simple tools that can be used in everyday life to persuade others to adopt one’s point of view. In doing so, he lays out solid experimental evidence that these tools are effective, in most cases without the recipient being aware. Continue reading…