Body Language Analysis No. 4249: Will Smith, Sophia the Robot, Robot-Empathy, and Responding in Context • Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Thought experiment: If tomorrow, humankind received a message from an intelligent alien race on a distant planet saying, "We are coming. We will arrive on Earth in 30 years" - yet this is all they said - we would have no way of knowing their intentions - if they will want to harm us - or if they'll be entirely benevolent.

What would we do, as a species, to prepare for their arrival?

This scenario has, very much, already occurred - but the aliens are of our own making. They are AI. They are the robots. For in twenty, thirty, or forty years they will have achieved a level of intelligence,  physical strength, and dexterity which will far exceed our own. This is not an "IF", but very much a "WHEN".

What WILL we do, as a species, to prepare for their arrival?

In 1950, pioneering computer scientist, cryptanalyst, and philosopher, Alan Turing posed the question, "Can machines think?" This question - and derivations of it - have been come to known as The Turing test.

Turing asked, "is a test of a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human? Turing proposed that a human evaluator would judge natural language conversations between a human and a machine designed to generate human-like responses. The evaluator would be aware that one of the two partners in conversation is a machine, and all participants would be separated from one another. The conversation would be limited to a text-only channel such as a computer keyboard and screen so the result would not depend on the machine's ability to render words as speech. If the evaluator cannot reliably tell the machine from the human, the machine is said to have passed the test. The test does not check the ability to give correct answers to questions, only how closely answers resemble those a human would give." §

As many including Turing have pointed out, the concept of thinking - is a difficult one to define.

Since, in Turing's scenario, the person and computer would communicate via a "text-only channel" - I pose the question: What will happen when humanoid robots, complete with ever-improving artificial intelligence, and facial expressions - replicate human emotions so precisely that we cannot differentiate them from another human?

In above video above, Will Smith is not just talking with (not to) a robot, he's acting with a robot. That's right - he and Sophia (yes, she has a name) are putting on a little satire for us. Let that sink in. And Sophia is not only responding with verbal banter - she's spot on with the many of her facial expressions - reacting, indeed behaving, within the context of comedy.

What follows is a partial nonverbal analysis - of Sophia in this video.

During 0:20, Sophia makes as standoffish, poor social smile (a strained smile), with a subtle to mild amount of disgust after she does not accept a drink Will Smith is handing her.

Note also Sophia's neck is twisted because her torso is not facing Will Smith. Humans Whole Body Point (our feet, legs, hips, torso, head, eyes, etc.) toward those people who we like and/or respect. In keeping with the theme of Will Smith getting friendzoned, Sophia is behaving in good comedic/acting context.

Upon being asked a question (Will Smith asked, "What is a robot's favorite kind of music?"), Sophia's eyebrows and lower forehead elevate slightly (along with a slight backward tilt of her head and a lengthening and of her neck) during 0:45.

This is a subtle, yet very common example of nonverbal cluster behavior which occurs in human interaction - and quite nuanced body language for a robot to respond with - in context.

An instant later (0:46) - and just a split second before she asks, "What?", Sophia displays a single partial bilateral blink. This is also very subtle, yet typical behavior upon being posed a question.

Upon hearing his answer, Sophia's lower and mid-face droop (in disappointment) during 0:49.

During 0:50, Sophia's head/neck snaps back (a low amplitude, but relatively fast velocity movement) together with a subtle, yet noticeable wider opening of her eyelids. Again, this cluster is very typical of human nonverbal startle-disapproval.

During 0:53, we see the "Oh" expression of sudden understanding - as she gets the joke.

A second later (0:53 - 0:54), she tilts her head and "squints her eyes" (not a blink, although, of course, in a still image, this may look very similar). This "Oh, I get it" expression is also a very common human response during sudden understanding.

The above (partial) analysis of this video is not to suggest that Sophia's robotic responses are perfect. However, AI and robotic-humanoids are progressing rapidly and remarkably.

So, again: What will happen when humanoid robots replicate human emotions so precisely that we cannot differentiate them from another human?

Another related and profound question is, What will happen when their robotic-empathy responds in context, with greater fidelity - and with more refined feedback than the above-average empathetic human?

Moreover, if a humanoid robot's displayed empathy is reliable, consistent, and (by most people's accounts) proportional and contextual - at what point do we (as humans) cease to call this behavior robotic-empathy, and define it (recognize it) simply as empathy?

The irony is, in our endeavor to make robots more empathetic - we will be forced to (re)examine our own empathy - in greater detail, and with more nuance - and in so doing, become better humans.

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Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3101: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jada Pickett Smith and "Focus" (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Actors get paid to "lie" to us. We want them to deceive us. In fact, as Dr. Paul Ekman has pointed out, when actors perform their craft skillfully and thus suspend our disbelief - they are not in many senses of the word "lying" to us - because we want to believe them - but they are certainly not telling the truth either. It's a special kind of in between. 

Yet actors are people too of course. They get paid to convince us. And it's particularly illustrative from a body language point of view to note when, especially during interviews, we catch actors red-handed. When they're not conversing with Mr. Stanislavski (or they don't get 17 re-dos), it's easy to see through the thin facade of Hollywood.

In the above interview (video has since been removed from YouTube) Will Smith and Margot Robbie are promoting their most recent film, Focus which will be released later this month. What follows is a partial nonverbal analysis.

At the 2:23 mark, Smith continues, ".... You know for me, ahhhh, finding love is the only thing that means anything in LIFE, I married Jada and my life became exponential ffffrom that choice, but, you know, there was a, I could of married Kroweshia ....you know, you know, and we would be talking about, you know, you know I just got out of jail, you know, so ....."

From 2:34 - 2:36 he reaches for and then rubs/scratches his mustache area specifically his philtrum with his right thumb. Smith is not lying when he is speaking about his belief for the priority of finding love in life. Yet he is trying to deceive when he waxes on Jada's exponential value in his life. Being a pretty good actor (and probably a yoga practitioner) Smith then becomes self-aware of his mistake (of facial touching, or in nonverbal parlance, a Manipulator, Adaptor or Pacifier aka MAP). He knows his wife will see this lie. This makes him nervous and he tries to backpedal with multiple "you knows" with an anxiety-driven joke (in poor taste). It's a cover-up, an attempt at verbal shell game. He knows Jada will catch his deception. He then verbally self-deprecates with Margot Robbie agreeing.

What other lie did Will Smith tell in this interview? What other nonverbal, present in both of these images, is also highly consistent with deception?

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