• Question: Will computers ever develop feelings, as the brain is just like a computer?

    Asked by homieiscoolinnit to Davie, Gemma, James P, James V, Nuala on 28 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: James Verdon

      James Verdon answered on 28 Jun 2012:

      Hi homieiscool,

      I’m not sure on this one. I guess the key thing would be if we could program a computer to have feelings. We have feelings because our brains are naturally hard-wired to do so. Computers can only ever do what they are programmed to do. So if we could find a way to program computers to have feelings, then I guess it would be possible. Whether they could ever be considered true feelings in the way that we experience them, is another question.

    • Photo: James Pope

      James Pope answered on 28 Jun 2012:

      Hi homieiscoolinnit,

      If we were ever able to program computers with feelings, I think it would be the greatest piece of computer programming ever done! I also think, that before we get a computer to feel, we must first ourselves understand where our feelings come from and how they come into being, which I don’t think we yet know!

      As for our brains, they are the greatest, most complicated computer on the planet and there are 7 billion of them, performing and running so many incredible calculations every single second of out lives!

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