Kansei Processes in a Psychodynamic Agent

摘要

This paper discusses the possibility of building of an artificial agent that would fit to the spirit of the Kansei technology of communication in a cyber society, i.e. that would be able to autonomously develop relationships with people and understand the significance of the relationships. We argue that the psychodynamic theory of personality provides a key to such a construction. We propose a block diagram of a psychodynamic agent and discuss its functional modules. The basic modules are four computational models of reality that cover perceived reality, desired reality, anticipated reality, ideal reality. A set of supporting modules facilitates categorization, action drive, imitation drive, domination drive, action planning, plan evaluation, hunger for knowledge, and defense mechanisms. The task of the agent's working memory includes producing images of the agent itself imitating another subject's activities and sending these images to a model of desired reality. A kind of psychic tension (a concept borrowed from psychoanalysis) arising from the calculated differences between a perceived reality and a desired reality is a source of a motivation toward action. The final decision to take an action is based on a comparison of the model of anticipated reality with that of ideal reality.