- The Talk
[Kukuwa Antwi]
Welcome to the Morning Gab and my, does our December season premiere begin with a bang!
Today’s guest, Dr. Efua Wilson, has had a prolific ten-year career in AI and human interaction. Guided by the notion that emotions work alongside rationality, Professor Wilson and her work lean into the human aspect of AI studies and its professional uses. Dr. Efua Wilson received her bachelor’s at University of Ghana, Legon, and later studied in the United States to receive her MD and MS degrees at Stanford University. She has received countless awards for her psychology and epigenetics research, and for her acclaimed book Science and Conscience.
Without further ado, here is Dr. Wilson. Dr. Wilson, it is a pleasure to speak with you today.
[Dr. Wilson]
The pleasure is all mine.
[K.A.]
Shall we talk about your fantastic presentation last week at the Berkeley Center for New Media? I was particularly struck by how conclusive your research is on AI/human interaction. Per your compatriots in the Black technological research realm, you argue that though flawed logic is a huge part of coding structures, it is actually indigenous concepts and ways of life—the ability to err and the ability to empathise—that can get this world to move beyond racist and non-simpatico technological models. You essentially argue that we have to dig deeper to infuse emotionally intelligent thinking into the software we produce. Such a fascinating theory! Would you be able to unpack that a little bit?
[Dr. Wilson]
Emotions are guiding forces. I live in that belief every day. When they pour out of us, they bring so much more than rote facts—connection, confusion, and the possibility of placing ourselves in the shoes of others. They illuminate the truths that logic forces us to put away.
Think of it this way: A love scenario. The subject in question, me, keeps reliving the moment I met her over and over again. It wasn’t a whirlwind romance or some sort of amazing courtship. It was an infatuation: with her smile, her eyes, her lips, and her hips. Every bit of her entranced me and moved me. Through her, I went through assessing specific parts of the human condition: obsession, lust, and love.
[K.A.]
Dr. Wilson, perhaps we can get to this . . . example at the end. How about you give new listeners an overview of your work?
[Dr. Wilson]
It’s easy to understand once you decide to let go.
Just like in any given moment, you have to take a step back and free-fall. In another realm, you land right before it all falls apart, but right after you meet her. You try to analyse what made her special in the first place. You think about those days you spent with her, and when it finally hit you that you wanted more. When “feelings” took a different form. A dance between the body-and-mind experience; though the body becomes more dominant in this moment. Your need is quite simple: a deep longing for a touch, a deep longing for a taste. Those times when all you wanted to do was look at her lips: what language they would use to coax yours. How do they feel? How intoxicating can they be? What hidden secrets would they share with you alone? You move your eyes to take in every bit of her. You take in how her hips sway when she dances. Analysing her every twist, and how every shy look on her face is directed to you. You flirt with your eyes and hold her gaze. Daring her to move her body a little closer, and when you feel less daring, you look away and sip your drink. She edges towards you; you find someone else to take your attention. Knowing that if she got any closer, you would be a victim of your drunk impulses. Impulses, if left unchecked, would have you and her against the wall, cards on the table, and the heart left behind for the foolish.
[K.A.]
Could we take a step back and give a formal introduction?
[Dr. Wilson]
Obsession is a peculiar thing. The dictionary defines this phenomenon as “the state in which a person’s mind is completely filled with thoughts of one particular thing or person in a way that is not normal.” Sounds like torture, right? But we do in fact do this. I, in fact, do this. Take for instance the day you realised that you were not going to be together. You were not prepared; she was not either. But the words still came out, and now your mind replays it constantly. Like a broken record, you are unable to move past the fact that it is in fact done. Over. Revisiting the reasons because you believe that this would stop your heart from growing cold.
[K.A.]
I guess not. [clears throat] Could you elaborate what this should illustrate? For instance, why is coldness not the solution here? Is it not healthier to just be?
[Dr. Wilson]
I could begin this with some fancy paper about how the human brain processes all of this. Throw some statistics your way to legitimise our collective feelings. But honestly, I am tired of those types of talks. I have been wanting more, needing more. Emotions aren’t always factual, but they can uncover things beyond the conscious mind. They can leave you tracing the arch of her lips, trying to read the mischievous glitter in her eyes. How many days did you spend hoping she would call you back and say it was a joke? Smiling at the sky, as if your imagination would materialise. Crafting a story over and over, and hoping that some shooting star would allow you the chance to make it happen. If you are one of the lucky ones, reason will kick in before you break down. Only then will you realise you are obsessing. The part of your brain that requires you to check the door six times before you are sure you locked it takes over a new stretch of your mind and imagination. You look to a friend or a drink—something to anchor your thoughts. You look for anything in hopes that it will work.
[K.A.]
Dr. Wilson, can you make the link a bit clearer to your research? For our listeners to fully understand the breadth and depth of your work as it relates to this exposition on matters of the heart? We are almost out of time . . .
[Dr. Wilson]
You shudder. Was this love in its infancy or lust? Love to you seems foreign, yet something to be found. A feeling so unknown to you, you now know the previous two—lust and love—are neither; but; and; or. You wished for a hybrid love, a pragma-based bond signed into existence by agape but still as passionate as eros. But, you hoped to pick up the pieces in philia, praying to anyone who would listen that you do not lose the playful affection you both had; the bond of respect and the fun of innocent flirtation. You look at the phone, and you’ve received a text. It’s her, and a little bit of hope rises that it is possible. You can get there. And wow, what an experience that would be.
[K.A.]
Dr. Wilson, I am sorry, but we only have a few questions left and some time for a Q&A.
[Dr. Wilson]
One day, you will finally feel what it is like when you are loved and when you love. One day, you will create a distinction between obsession, lust, and love. Obsession and lust are empirical, driven by almost raw calculation. Love is more of a dance between the calculated and the emotional. Like the dance I found myself in—fighting to say how I feel, hoping to find a medium to communicate the intensity of the motions. I was struggling to pull her close. As that dance came to an end, I found myself clamouring for any way to find my footing again. You see, all the steps are unwritten; she and I had to devise the steps together. You try to figure out the other person’s movement but you only know the path you have traced. When you feel something again, you make a conscious, calculated choice to try learning the new steps without bringing the old steps back into your routine. The process repeats itself until you find another “love.” When it will come, nobody knows. I am yet to figure it out myself . . .
Thank you for your time and letting me speak with you today. [phone line clicks]
[K.A.]
Well, professor, thank you for your speech and time. I am sure our audience was able to glean some part of your psychological research from this . . . exposition? We'll be back shortly with our next interview on the art of techno-futuristic writing.
