Empathy Engines: Can AI Simulations of Emotion Inspire Genuine Human Compassion?

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-618-0_17How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Affective computing; empathy; compassion; human-robot interaction; empathy engines; emotional simulation; and artificial intelligence

Abstract

A key focus in developing genuine human–robot interactions (HRIs) is the incorporation of empathy into artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The conceptual and ethical aspects of empathy and compassion in AI are examined in this study, with a focus on how social robotics and affective computing seek to replicate human emotional intelligence. Empathy is examined as a dynamic interaction of affective sharing, self-other awareness, perspective taking, and emotional regulation, drawing on Decety and Jackson’s multidimensional model. Although AI is capable of simulating emotional cues including tone, expression, and behaviour, the study contends that these simulations frequently elicit affective resonance rather than true empathy. Further explanation of the difference between empathy and compassion is provided, establishing compassion as a pro-social extension that entails the desire to lessen suffering. The study assesses how emotional simulations can promote psychological comfort, perspective-taking, and pro-social conduct through case studies of “empathy engines” including Woebot, PARO, and immersive virtual reality experiences. But the conversation also brings to light moral dilemmas, such as emotional blackmail, reliance, and genuineness in machine-human interaction. The results imply that transparency, regulatory framing, and upholding human-centered boundaries are necessary for the moral strength of AI-mediated empathy. In the end, the article suggests that AI should act as a catalyst that improves emotional comprehension, compassion, and social connection in digital contexts rather than as a replacement for human empathy.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Preeti Chahar
AU  - Jageshwar Ray
AU  - Shilpi Prakash
AU  - Manjot Kaur
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/03/16
TI  - Empathy Engines: Can AI Simulations of Emotion Inspire Genuine Human Compassion?
BT  - Proceedings of 3rd International Conference on Library & Technology on “Artificial Intelligence and Humanities in Library and Education 4.0 (AIHLE 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 224
EP  - 236
SN  - 1951-6851
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-618-0_17
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-618-0_17
ID  - Chahar2026
ER  -