Letture critiche. Paul Dumouchel e Luisa Damiano, "Vivere con i robot. Saggio sull'empatia artificiale", Raffaello Cortina, Milano, 2019, pp. 220

The interaction between human beings and robots is, not surprisingly, one of the most growing topics in the research of artificial sciences, in particular in robotics and social robotics. In Living with robots, Paul Dumouchel and Luisa Damiano deal with the problem from the point of view of robotic emotions, up to discussing a sort of artificial empathy. In the volume, different positions relating to affective robotics, that is, the study of emotions in robotics, have been reviewed. The authors largely criticize contemporary approaches by suggesting their own approach that fits within the framework of radical embodiment. The issues still open concern the ontological assumptions regarding emotions in robotics, and therefore the theoretical contexts within which they are studied; the experimental methodologies exploited, starting from the synthetic method; and the repercussions in related areas, such as that of robotic ethics. The volume of Dumouchel and Damiano is characterized by a conceptual and expository clarity which, beyond the agreement or disagreement with the authors' positions, allows an in-depth reflection on frontier topics.