The Dangers of Automating Emotional Support!!!

I watched a short advertisement on the TV screen recently where a robot was shown. The people were trying to teach the robot how to communicate with humans, a family bought one, took it home and taught it how to express love around the kids but there was no flow in the robot. It was just delivering what it was told to do and the kids got tired and complained that their mom should take it back as they did not want it.

Another instance was a movie I watched. The woman was suffering from a disease and was taken to India for surgery. At first, she was scared to death when she heard that she would be undergoing surgery, she thought it would lead to her death, hence her fear. The doctor held her hands, gave her some encouraging words, explained more about the treatment and assured her that everything would be fine. The doctor showed emotional support which got her to be calmed. The operation went successfully and was treated better.

The world is going rapidly with different kinds of automation with technology. Though it is a good thing because we all want to keep seeing new advancements here and there, but the effects it causes are so damaging. Excess use of things can cause harm and is not ideal whatsoever.

Robots are now automated to attend to customers at restaurants, interviews etc but they don't have what I call "emotional support" and this is something that shouldn't be automated because these robots cannot feel or think through a human mind. They don't have the capability because they are made by humans who only instruct them on what to do.

Emotional support relies heavily on genuine human connection. Humans can show empathy, can be understanding when talking to someone and show compassion in a way that machines can never replicate. Just like the woman above, she needed emotional support which the doctor was able to provide. The doctor knew what she was going through, knew the fear in her because of the operation, and knew how sometimes, an operation like that could end in death, but was able to show empathy and compassion for his client and was able to convince her to go for it. This is something a machine cannot do.

Leaving the job to a machine could make the woman give up and not consider that option which could eventually lead to her death because there is a machine that cannot express itself by making use of humans' feelings.

Humans understanding and situations are complex and involve going in-depth to recognize various factors that are at play and to appreciate the subtleties rather than depend on a machine that can only view it in black-and-white terms. Just like in communication, a human-to-human interaction would involve the first person trying to choose his or her words and expressions carefully to convey precise meanings and emotions, this is something a robot or machine would not do.

Everyone is going through tough moments and needing emotional support from trusted friends, families and professional personnel is the best way rather than meeting an automated machine that has been made to just deliver tips, strategies, and coping mechanisms without adding a touch of empathy, compassion and love to make the process quicker and easier for the depressed being. It will only make matters worse when there is no one to feel the pain such a victim is going through. Deep communication and understanding are needed in this scenario.

Emotional support also requires trust and safety. An individual needs someone who he or she can trust and feel safe with and also to be well understood. This is where a human presence can never be ignored or undermined as such an individual needs reassurance that an automated machine or system cannot provide.

When emotional support is automated, the effects are the loss of genuine communication and interaction, reduction in quality of care, loss of trust and potential harm to the victim or client, in the sense that an AI can provide inappropriate and harmful responses, thereby increasing the chances of such an individual to feel more depressed and adding to his or her emotional distress.

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