Artificial Empathy in Therapy and Healthcare: Advancements in Interpersonal Interaction Technologies

The healthcare sector is challenged by critical workforce shortages, and this is causing an urgent need for innovative technologies to support or augment human roles. Although much of the research effort has focused on support and training of functional tasks, the emotional impacts that humans bring to the loop have often been overlooked. This gap is particularly pressing in healthcare and therapy, where empathy and emotional support are central to patient well-being. Unlike machines, humans possess a unique capacity for empathy, connecting emotionally with others and providing the essential support that fosters healing. Bridging this gap requires integrating affective elements, such as empathy, into therapeutic systems, which is the key to improving their effectiveness. This review explores groundbreaking techniques that integrate interpersonal interactions within therapy and healthcare, focusing on multiplayer games that strengthen real-time social connections, alongside social robots and virtual agents designed to simulate human-like affective interactions. Using artificial intelligence, these technologies aim to replicate complex human dynamics and foster artificial empathy, thus revolutionizing how we deliver care and support.