Heart of the Machine

February 15, 2017

We've been captivated by the idea of artificial intelligence (AI), its potential, and its inadvertent consequences since the rise of the digital age, and it continues to be a hot topic in movies and television. Yonck, who has contributed to Scientific American, The Wire, and World Future Today, makes a compelling argument for why affective computing (technology that can read, interpret, replicate, and experience emotions and use those abilities to influence us) is the key to AI and the heart of how we will work with computers. While the author, a self-proclaimed futurist who has spent his career analyzing trends to predict possible events and their general outcomes, does explore future prospects of emotional AI, this book's strength lies in its analysis of past and present developments in this subfield of computer science: affective computing helps doctors learn what triggers stress, robotic animals give dementia patients comfort, and facial expression and body language software assist security professionals. Aimed at a general audience, this work focuses on one topic at a time, using an accessible anecdote or a fictional future scenario, resulting in an engaging read. VERDICT For those interested in technology trends, robots, and AI.--Heidi Uphoff, Sandia National Laboratories, NM

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