How do you put yourself in other people’s shoes (and can AI do it)?

You know that moment in the horror movie where the monster is coming closer, but the movie star doesn’t see it? Why does that drive you crazy, and what does that teach us about brains? What is theory of mind, and why is it so important for everyone from poker players to conmen to stage magicians to novelists? Join us this week to dive into a fundamental skill of human brains — and the question of whether current AI has any ability to simulate other people’s minds.

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More Information:

Frith U, Frith CD. Development and neurophysiology of mentalizing. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences. 2003 Mar 29;358(1431):459-73.

Happé FG. An advanced test of theory of mind: Understanding of story characters’ thoughts and feelings by able autistic, mentally handicapped, and normal children and adults. Journal of autism and Developmental disorders. 1994 Apr;24(2):129-54.

Baron-Cohen S, Leslie AM, Frith U. Does the autistic child have a “theory of mind”?. Cognition. 1985 Oct 1;21(1):37-46.

Perner J, Leekam SR, Wimmer H. Three‐year‐olds’ difficulty with false belief: The case for a conceptual deficit. British journal of developmental psychology. 1987 Jun;5(2):125-37.

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