Can AI Truly Understand Us? Exploring Humans and Machines.

 



Can AI Truly Understand Us? Exploring Humans and Machines.


What is Theory of Mind?

Imagine you are in a conversation, before talking, the other person frowns and immediately you think that what they are about to say is something sad— this thinking and inference is what Cognitive Science calls Theory of Mind (ToM). You don’t just notice the expression, you instinctively guess that they are upset, and that's exactly what ToM is. Theory of Mind is the ability to attribute beliefs, emotions, and intentions to others. It's one of the biggest parts of humans that make us social and emotional.


 But now, as Artificial Intelligence is making a mark in the world, can AI develop a theory of mind? 


Theory of Mind in Humans V.S. AI:

Right now, AI doesn’t quite understand you, at least not how other humans do. Advanced AI models such as Gemini or ChatGpt often say that they ‘get’ you, but underneath, they are just following a programmed pattern. They may mimic emotions and feelings, but they don’t possess it. In cognitive science, ToM is a deep process built on years of development. Babies don’t have it in the beginning but normally develop it around age 4. At the toddler age, they realize that other people have opinions and minds of their own  that aren’t the same as themselves. It’s tied to brain regions like the temporoparietal junction and the medial prefrontal cortex—stuff machines don’t have. Machine learning, on the other hand, works through statistical associations, not mental modeling. Some AI researchers are trying to build systems that can predict human behavior by modeling beliefs and goals—like an original  form of Theory of Mind. These models can sometimes simulate what a person might be thinking, but it’s more like strategy than empathy.

Where is AI Right Now?

Overall, AI has come a long way, at first, there were the reactive machines which are basic input/output machines. Then came the limited memory models which used past AI interactions which were stored in its memory to make decisions. Programmers believe that the next stage of AI would be the Theory of Mind AI in which it would aim to understand human emotions and thoughts. To bring it to the next step, hopes are that AI will reach self awareness. But how would ToM come to AI?

  • Deep Learning Models: Using neural networks to learn representations of mental states from datasets of human interactions.

  • Cognitive Architectures: Integrating cognitive models that simulate human cognition and ToM into AI systems.

  • Hybrid Models: Combining symbolic and connectionist AI to reason about mental states and generate human-like responses.


Ethics of Emotions:

Even if it is quite unlikely that AI will grow to develop proper human-like emotions, it is a possibility. With the help of cognitive science and psychology, AI models possibly could be taught how to react to human responses. However, this brings up an ethical question, will AI having emotions be a good thing for the human race? One side may argue that AI understanding emotions will lead to deeper understanding of mental health and psychology– helping people. On the other hand, some may say that AI may become too human-like, grow emotions and one day take over. This is an argument that will go one, but one thing we can do is try to understand what is happening. 



For Now, Machines Only Mimic:

In conclusion, Theory of Mind is a uniquely human cognitive skill that allows us to understand others’ thoughts and feelings. While AI is making impressive strides in simulating this ability by predicting behavior and responses, it still doesn’t truly “think” or understand like humans do. Cognitive science suggests that AI might one day develop more advanced forms of Theory of Mind, but for now, it remains a powerful imitation rather than genuine mental understanding.

    
 ~Aarya Godse
6/21/25

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Deep Spiral

  A Deep Spiral I’ve been an overthinker for all the time I can remember. Overthinking can start from the smallest of things, perhaps you start to think about how you said hi to someone but they didn’t reply. This can end up spiraling into thinking if you did something wrong, did you come off as awkward, or if the other person is upset with you. Before you realize it, your mind has built a narrative based on one incoherent interaction. The word overthinking has been used very commonly lately as if it's immature or insensitive- something needing to be fixed. However, from the lens of psychology and cognitive science, it's not the person’s fault or a flaw in the ability to think but it's a flaw in regulation.  Psychologists describe this process as rumination, a pattern of repetitive thinking that focuses on uncertainty and perceived mistakes instead of solutions. What makes this really hard to stop is that you don’t realize when you end up going into this black hole of think...
Read more

16 Lessons I Learned Turning 16

  16 Lessons I Learned Turning 16 Turning 16 feels like standing on the two poles of the world, half kid and half (almost) adults. Its a strange mix of uncertainty and excitement, where in some days it feels like I’m ready to take on the world and other I just want to rot in bed. Priorities have changed too, few years ago, it felt like all I cared about was hanging out with friends, playing games, or just having fun. Now, a lot of my focus is shifting toward school, grades, and thinking about college, or at least what comes after high school. Yet, I try my very best to still keep that little kid in me alive. Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned trying to do this: Its ok to not have it all figured out. Life is all about learning, so might as well go with the flow.  Some people act like they know exactly what they want at 16, but honestly, most of us are just winging it. And that’s totally fine. Friendships are about quality not quantity. A group of five friends who actua...
Read more

Beyond Just Psychology

  Beyond Just Psychology Aarya Godse When I first reached out to Kyla Mitsunaga, a family constellations facilitator and life healer, I wanted to learn more about nontraditional approaches to therapy and the different career paths within psychology and behavioral health. What I did not expect was to learn how much her career had evolved through a combination of education, personal experiences, mentorship, and exploration of different fields. From teaching English in Korea and studying positive psychology and neuroscience to building her own coaching business and becoming a family constellations facilitator, Kyla offered valuable insight into the intersection of psychology, education, entrepreneurship, and personal growth. I would like to thank Kyla Mitsunaga for taking the time to share her experiences and perspectives with me. Here is what I learned. Success to Self Discovery In 2016, Kyla was living a life many people would consider successful. She was an award-winning ESL profes...
Read more