AI agents can now see your face, hear your tone and respond in real time. Teaching machines the art of being human means going far beyond surface mimicry.

Source: Illustrated by Kalos Chan, image owned by Ben Sedley Have you ever felt worried? And someone said, “Don’t worry about it”? Did that help? Have you ever felt sad? And someone said, “Cheer up”?

The night I realized I was a monster, I was wearing a volunteer badge and serving soup to the homeless. “God bless you,” I said mechanically, ladling hot liquid into a disposable bowl. My sleeve rode ...