Can artificial intelligence (AI) ever crave food like humans? While it’s not there yet, Penn State researchers are crafting an electronic tongue that mimics how taste impacts our food choices, combining physiological needs with psychological desires. This innovation could pave the way for more human-like AI processing.
Human behavior is a complex interplay of physiological and psychological factors. Despite AI advancements, the emotional aspect of intelligence often goes overlooked. This research aims to infuse emotional intelligence into AI.
Saptarshi Das, an associate professor at Penn State, highlights the challenge of replicating human behavior in robots. Our eating habits exemplify emotional intelligence, driven by taste preferences rather than just hunger.
To bridge this gap, researchers have created an artificial gustatory system using graphene-based chemitransistors and molybdenum disulfide memtransistors. This electronic “tongue” and “gustatory cortex” can detect tastes like salt.
This technology has applications from AI-curated diets based on emotional intelligence to personalized restaurant meals. The next goal is expanding the system to mimic the variety of taste receptors on the human tongue.
Ultimately, this concept of gustatory emotional intelligence in AI could extend to other senses, advancing the development of more sophisticated AI systems.
Source NeuroScienceNews
