KOLKATA - The symbiosis between artificial intelligence (AI) and the intricacies of the human brain is already achieving breakthroughs and yielding deep insights into human interaction, communication, and mutual understanding.

Grasping neural-mechanical communication

At the core of this revolution lies the quest to decode the elaborate neural mechanisms underpinning human communication. Researchers reach deep into the brain’s neural circuits to decipher the mysteries of language processing, emotional cues, and social interactions. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fmRI) and electroencephalography equip experts to scan and parse brain activity in real time, illuminating the neural signatures linked with communication in its various forms. 

Stanford researchers get a feel for empathy

Researchers at Stanford University used fmRI to probe the neural co-relates of empathy during interpersonal communication. Their brain activity pattern analyses revealed specific brain regions associated with this quality, thus opening a window for these scientists onto its mechanisms in humans and their social bonding.

Alexa has feelings too

Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant (VA), embodies AI’s explosive potential in communication. Continuous learning and adaptation have brought ‘her’ far in understanding and aptly responding to user queries and engaging in more natural and intuitive interplay. A long stretch of road remains to go, but this may signal that VAs are at last putting a past marked by letdowns and shortfalls behind them. Bolstered by embedded NLP algorithms, Alexa is now upending