Emotional control-conditio sine qua non for advanced artificial intelligences?

Abstract

Humans dispose of two intertwined information processing pathways, cognitive information processing via neural firing patterns and diffusive volume control via neuromodulation. The cognitive information processing in the brain is traditionally considered to be the prime neural correlate of human intelligence, clinical studies indicate that human emotions intrinsically correlate with the activation of the neuromodulatory system. We examine here the question: Why do humans dispose of the diffusive emotional control system? Is this a coincidence, a caprice of nature, perhaps a leftover of our genetic heritage, or a necessary aspect of any advanced intelligence, being it biological or synthetic? We argue here that emotional control is necessary to solve the motivational problem, viz the selection of short-term utility functions, in the context of an environment where information, computing power and time constitute scarce resources.