Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly sophisticated. In a thought-provoking paper published in Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, Thomas Fuchs argues that true understanding and empathy require the subjectivity that is inherent to living beings, cautioning against the blurring lines between real and simulated interactions. A robot may be able to engage in conversation that mirrors one’s emotions and respond with uncanny human-like behavior, but it’s just that–it’s almost natural. The heart of human understanding hinges on the assumption of each other’s subjectivity, mean…