Artificial Empathy Is Coming. Are We Ready for Emotions From AI?

livemint.com:

Busy, stressed-out humans aren’t always good at expressing empathy. Now computer scientists are training artificial intelligence to be empathetic for us. AI-driven large language models trained on massive amounts of voice, text and video conversations are now smart enough to detect and mimic emotions like empathy—at times, better than humans, some argue.

Powerful new capabilities promise to improve interactions in customer service, human resources, mental health and other fields, tech experts say. They’re also raising moral and ethical questions about whether machines, which lack remorse and a sense of responsibility, should be allowed to interpret and evaluate human emotions. Companies like telecom giant Cox Communications and telemarketing behemoth Teleperformance use AI to measure the empathy levels of call-center agents and use the scores for performance reviews.

Doctors and therapists use generative AI to craft empathetic correspondence with patients. For instance, Lyssn.io, an AI platform for training and evaluating therapists, is testing a specialized GPT model that suggests text responses to give to patients. When a woman discloses anxiety after a tough week at work, Lyssn’s chatbot gives three options the therapist could text back: “Sounds like work has really taken a toll this past week" or “Sorry to hear that, how have you been managing your stress and anxiety this week?" or “Thanks for sharing.