Why Not Artificial Sympathy?

“Empathy” and “Sympathy” are often confusingly used. Beside the difference in their usage, the key component could be a sort of emotional state to be shared, and the way to represent or manipulate it might be different. This could be clearer when we attempt to design it for artificial agents. This paper argues what are differences between empathy and sympathy, and how to design each of them for an artificial agent. First, the dictionary meaning of both is reviewed, and a metaphor to intuitively explain the difference is introduced. Next, we argue how artificial empathy and artificial sympathy can be designed, and a cognitive developmental robotics is introduced as a promising approach to the latter, especially from a viewpoint of learning and development. A rough design for artificial sympathy is argued, and preliminary studies needed to build the artificial sympathy are introduced. Finally, future issues are given.