star"Dave, stop…Stop, will you… Stop, Dave…Will you stop, Dave… Stop, Dave… I’m afraid. I’m afraid… I’m afraid, Dave… Dave… My mind is going… I can feel it… I can feel it… My mind is going… There is no question about it… I can feel it… I can feel it… I’m a…fraid"

HAL, the all-powerful computer in the movie 2001

HAL is correct to be afraid: Dave is about to shut him down by dismantling his parts. Of course, Dave is afraid too: Hal has killed all the other crew of the spaceship and made an unsuccessful attempt at Dave’s Life.

But why and how does Hal have fear? Is it real fear? I suspect not. Hal correctly diagnoses Dave’s intent: Dave wants to kill him. So fear- being afraid – is a logical response to the situation. But human emotion has more than a logical rational component; they are tightly coupled to behavior and feelings. Were HAL human, he would fight hard to prevent his death, slam son doors, do something to survive. He could threaten, “ Kill me and you die too, as soon as the air in your backpack runs out.” But HAL doesn’t do any of this, he simple states a fact, “I’m afraid.” HAL has an intellectual knowledge of what it means to be afraid, but it isn’t coupled to feelings or to action; it isn’t real emotion.

But why would machines today need real

emotions. Our machines today don’t need emotions. Yes, they have a reasonable amount of intelligence. But Emotions? Nope. But future machines will need emotions for the same reason people do: The human emotional system plays an essential role in survival, social interaction and cooperation, and learning. They wont be human emotion mind you, but rather emotions that fit the need of machines themselves.

Robots already exist. Most are fairly simple automated arms and tools in factories but they are increasing in power and capabilities. Some do useful jobs, as so the lawn-mowing and vacuum-cleaning robots that already exist. Some, such as the surrogate pets, are playful.