Sep 2026· Cambridge University Press eBooks· 31 references
Abstract
Recent advances in large language models (LLMs) have enabled artificial systems to generate responses widely perceived as empathic, raising fundamental questions about the nature and value of empathy. This chapter examines why, despite evidence that AI can equal or even surpass humans in tasks of cognitive empathy, human empathy remains uniquely valued by recipients. We review empirical findings comparing human and AI empathic responses, highlighting the critical role of perceived source, effort, motivation, and trust in shaping recipients’ experiences. We argue that the value of empathy depends on the type of empathy sought – cognitive, affective, or motivational – and that AI may be well suited for some empathic functions but not others. Finally, we consider the broader societal implications of artificial empathy, including cultural variation, trust, skill erosion, and the future of human relationships, outlining key open questions for research on empathy in an AI-mediated world.
The results are packaged in the Greenfield Startup Model (GSM), which explains the priority of startups to release the product as quickly as possible, and the need to shorten time-to-market, by speeding up the development through low-precision engineering activities.
Carmine Giardino, Nicolò Paternoster, M. Unterkalmsteiner et al.· IEEE Transactions on Softwar...· 178 citations· ⚡14
Software startup companies develop innovative, software-intensive products within limited timeframes and with few resources, searching for sustainable and scalable business models.
M. Unterkalmsteiner, P. Abrahamsson, Xiaofeng Wang et al.· e-Informatica Software Engin...· 157 citations· ⚡17
This study conducts a case survey study based on the secondary data of the major pivots happened in 49 software startups, and demonstrates that customer need pivot is the most common among all pivot types.
Sohaib Shahid Bajwa, Xiaofeng Wang, Anh Nguyen-Duc et al.· Empirical Software Engineeri...· 127 citations· ⚡15
The comparison of adopter and non-adopter sample reveals three potential adoption inhibitor, security, data privacy, and portability, which underlines the importance of the technical and security perspectives for research investigating the adoption of technology.
Nattakarn Phaphoom, Xiaofeng Wang, S. Samuel et al.· Journal of Systems and Softw...· 111 citations· ⚡8
The ongoing work building a Raspberry Pi cluster consisting of 300 nodes is presented, with potential use cases being an inexpensive and green test bed for cloud computing research and a robust and mobile data center for operating in adverse environments.
P. Abrahamsson, S. Helmer, Nattakarn Phaphoom et al.· IEEE International Conferenc...· 110 citations· ⚡7
Objective There is dearth of information on the timeliness of antenatal care (ANC) uptake. This study aimed to determine the timely ANC uptake by a medically trained provider (MTP) as per the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations and the country guideline. Methods Cross-sectional survey was done with 2,731 wo...
B. Sarker, Musfikur Rahman, T. Rahman et al.· PLoS ONE· 89 citations· ⚡7
