Enhancing the Efficacy of Chatbots: From Imitation to Emulation
- Dr. Mark Lerner
- Nov 28, 2025
- 2 min read
A Principal Consultant in AI-Integrated Emotional Wellness Perspective
by Mark D. Lerner, Ph.D.
Principal Consultant and Creator, AI-Integrated Emotional Wellness
Artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing rapidly, leading to a surge in the use of chatbots. They are now integral to various fields such as customer support, sales, marketing, virtual assistants, education, healthcare, and more.
One of the greatest challenges for chatbots is learning to interact with human emotion. When a chatbot fails to recognize a user’s emotional state, users feel unheard, disconnected, and often frustrated.
And here’s a solution: AI-Integrated Emotional Wellness (AIEW) refers to the broad interface of artificial intelligence’s cognitive abilities with the complexity of human emotions—focusing on how artificial intelligence can foster emotional well-being.
As a principal consultant in AIEW, I regularly encourage the enhancement of chatbots from imitating to emulating people. While imitation refers to the simple act of copying or replicating behavior, emulation aims to match and surpass the quality of the original. It strives for excellence in understanding and responding to human emotion.
In the National Center's Library is an article entitled An Innovative AI-Integrated Emotional Wellness Strategy that aims to empower chatbots and virtual therapists to emulate mental health professionals. Emulation is a process in which a chatbot recognizes users’ emotions by analyzing their language and learning from each interaction. This enables the chatbot to provide personalized responses based on the user’s needs and feelings.
Emulation also incorporates advanced predictive capabilities and complex decision-making processes—enhancing the chatbot’s ability to anticipate user needs and make informed suggestions. Above all, emulation stands out because it incorporates empathy. This enables chatbots to respond in a way that shows emotional understanding and a perceived sense of compassion, fostering a more human-like interactions. Notwithstanding, we must never lose site of the fact that AI will never replace the presence of another person or people—humanity.
By integrating AIEW, chatbots can move beyond imitation to more sophisticated emulation—providing users with a more human-like and emotionally sensitive interactive experience.
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