Affective Computing Timeline

Invention and Evolution of Stone Tools

9999 BCE

Emotion was used to communicate with others in place of language through things like gestures and facial expressions. Because people were able to communicate, they shared ideas and feedback, working together to create better tools. This paved the way for further advancements in early technology.

Antonio Damasio Studies Alexithymia

1987

Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio studies Elliot, whose brain tumor hindered his emotions and ability to make decisions. He learns that Elliot developed the condition of alexithymia which has removed his ability to prioritize tasks and feel empathy. Elliot's condition is a human example of the common problems with Artificial Intelligence and why it cannot reason like humans.

Rosalind Picard Publishes Affective Computing

1997

Computer engineer Rosalind Picard publishes her writing on what she calls affective computing— how technology deals with emotion. This research of hers expanded computer science and AI in a new direction.

Microsoft's Clippy is Retired

2001

Many Microsoft users found virtual assistant Clippy frustratingly annoying, as he tried to come across as helpful and caring but had no way of recognizing or responding to the user's emotions. Picard proposed an idea that Clippy could respond to the user's grip on their mouse to try and read their emotions, but it was never realized. Eventually outrage over Clippy led Microsoft to retiring him in 2001.

Lucas Hinch's Aggravated Computer Assault

2015

Lucas Hinch shoots his 2012 Dell XPS 410 computer eight times in a back alley. He recalls that it was glorious when the computer showed the "blue screen of death" after shooting it repeatedly. According to Yonck, around a third of Americans have verbally and/or physically assaulted their computers when they did not follow orders as intended.

[PREDICTION] Deepfake AI Videos Cause Chaos

2030

As deepfake AI technology (artificially generated videos, images, and audio to make a convincing yet entirely fake video) progresses, people will misuse the technology in countless ways. Footage of people falsely committing crimes or other harmful acts will be hard to disprove and people will no longer be able to trust video evidence. An article by VOA remarks that people are already doubting their eyes. https://www.voanews.com/a/deepfakes-a-weapon-against-journalism-analyst-says-/7442897.html

[PREDICTION] AI Replicates Humans Perfectly

2124

Countless jobs and places in society will be lost as computers learn to perfectly replicate humans. Computers may show such convincing displays of emotion and reasoning that there will be debates about whether or not computers have human rights.