In a digital age where AI can compose symphonies and pass essay exams, can it also experience love? In the latest episode of Global South Next Gen: Voices and Visions, released December 10, 2025, early-career scientists from Nigeria, India and Brazil tackled three big questions: emotion, self-awareness and creativity.
Here's what they discovered:
- Emotion: While AI chatbots can mirror empathy in text, they rely on statistical patterns, not genuine feeling. In a survey of 60 researchers from institutes across the Global South, 85% said true emotional reciprocity remains out of reach.
AI can simulate a hug in code, but it can't feel your heartbeat
, says Amina Okoye, a computational linguist in Lagos. - Self-Awareness: The idea of AI knowing itself split the scientists. Some envision future models that monitor and revise their own decision processes. Others, like Lalit Singh, a cognitive robotics PhD candidate in New Delhi, argue that consciousness still requires a living brain:
Self-awareness isn't just data reflecting on data
, he notes. - Creativity: Generative AI can generate art after analyzing oceans of data, but does it truly innovate? Maria Fernandes, an AI researcher in SĂŁo Paulo, believes creativity springs from personal experience and culture:
AI's art is remix culture at scale, but it lacks the stories that give art soul
.
These findings matter beyond the lab. As AI tools weave into therapy, education and entrepreneurship, knowing their limits shapes ethical guidelines, investment strategies and creative collaborations across borders. For young global professionals and digital nomads, this debate informs how we embrace AI in our work and travels.
What questions would you ask an AI? Can machines ever feel or create like humans? Share your thoughts below and keep the conversation going.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
