From empathy to algorithm: social cognition in the face of artificial intelligence

Authors

  • Tiago Fernando Figueiredo Santos Pesquisador Chefe do Instituto Cognus de Ensino e Pesquisa, ICEP, Brasília, DF, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4369-268X
  • Leonardo Caixeta Diretor do CERNE, Centro de Referência em Neuropsiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, UFG, Goiânia, GO, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5736-9058

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25118/2763-9037.2025.v15.1504

Keywords:

social cognition, artificial intelligence, human–machine interaction, loneliness, social psychiatry

Abstract

Introduction: The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has profoundly reshaped human interactions, raising questions about its relationship with social cognition, the ability to perceive, interpret, and respond to others' mental states. Objective: To analyze the bidirectional relationship between social cognition and AI, addressing challenges in computational modeling of human social intelligence and potential impacts of interaction with intelligent machines on coping with or exacerbating loneliness. Method: Opinion article based on narrative literature review, analyzing empirical and theoretical studies on social neuroscience, human-robot interaction, and loneliness management through AI technologies. Results: The complexity of human social cognition remains the main challenge for AI naturalization. Neuroscientific evidence reveals distinct patterns of brain activation in interactions with embodied versus non-embodied agents, suggesting hierarchy in social cognitive functions. AI technologies demonstrate therapeutic potential in managing loneliness but also risks of amplifying this phenomenon. Conclusion: Analysis of human-AI interaction provides valuable insights into neural mechanisms of social cognition, showing that interpersonal imaginative processes remain distinctively human. Clinical use of AI requires careful consideration of its limitations and potential paradoxical effects.

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Author Biographies

Tiago Fernando Figueiredo Santos, Pesquisador Chefe do Instituto Cognus de Ensino e Pesquisa, ICEP, Brasília, DF, Brasil

http://lattes.cnpq.br/2138175425880431

Leonardo Caixeta, Diretor do CERNE, Centro de Referência em Neuropsiquiatria, Hospital das Clínicas, UFG, Goiânia, GO, Brasil

http://lattes.cnpq.br/9536747113677509

 

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2025-12-13

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1.
Santos TFF, Caixeta L. From empathy to algorithm: social cognition in the face of artificial intelligence. Debates Psiquiatr. [Internet]. 2025 Dec. 13 [cited 2026 May 15];15:1-23, e1504. Available from: https://revistardp.org.br/revista/article/view/1504

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Vol. 15 (2025)

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Review Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Tiago Fernando Figueiredo Santos; Leonardo Ferreira Caixeta

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