2nd edition, 2023 · Winner, Maincrest Media Award 2024
Heartificial Empathy
Putting Heart into Business and Artificial Intelligence
Why and how businesses should flex their empathic muscle, and how to encode empathy in artificial intelligence.
★★★★☆ 4.5 / 5 from 38 ratings on Amazon and Goodreads (1st and 2nd editions) (updated Oct 2026) · 1st edition: Book Excellence Award 2019 · Paperback, ebook, audiobook
Why read it
A much-needed book for leaders in a fast-changing tech landscape
The need for empathy is more important than ever, and so many new initiatives are happening around empathy and artificial intelligence. This second, significantly expanded edition is about 50% longer than the first (2018) and updates the state of conversational AI, therapeutic AI and the attempts to insert more empathy into business and AI applications.
It's for any business executive looking to accelerate their digital transformation, upgrade customer centricity, improve customer service, drive innovation or hike employee engagement.
Three key takeaways
What you'll learn
- Empathy is a business leverWhy brands should flex their empathic muscle, for customers and for employees alike.
- Encoding empathy in AIWhere conversational and therapeutic AI stand today, and what it takes to make machines more empathic.
- Practical and ethicalSpecific business cases, the prominent ethical questions, and concrete tips you can apply.
What readers say
Praise for Heartificial Empathy
“Minter Dial masterfully makes the case for why empathy is not only teachable but a requirement for success in business and in life.”
Charlene Li, bestselling author and founder of Altimeter
“Minter Dial is onto something… A must-read for forward-thinking leaders everywhere.”
Marty Neumeier, author of Metaskills and The Brand Gap
“A thought-provoking exploration of the role of empathy in the modern workplace, and how to nurture and sustain it.”
Dorie Clark, Duke University's Fuqua School of Business
More praise (7 more)
“Empathy will be the key competitive advantage of the 21st Century. Dial captures the fullest essence of that one special quality that makes us truly human.”
Nell Watson, AI & Robotics Faculty, Singularity University
“An enthralling and sweeping journey along the trajectory of empathy for leadership, society and the sciences.”
Marie R. Miyashiro, author, The Empathy Factor
“Thought-provoking.”
Jeremy Waite, chief strategy officer, IBM Watson customer engagement
“Minter Dial makes an urgent and compelling case for the need for that most human of traits – empathy – to be prioritised.”
Rob McCargow, director of Artificial Intelligence, PwC UK
“Putting more empathy into our teams, tools, and processes can only result in vastly better experiences.”
Scott Monty, principal & founder, Scott Monty Strategies
“A must-read for business leaders and those in charge of AI initiatives.”
Jason Miller, Brand Marketing Lead, EMEA – Microsoft Advertising
“This beautifully crafted work will open your mind to possibilities.”
Rod Banner, entrepreneur, investor, founder of joytech.org
Read reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, and please consider leaving a rating.
Get your copy
Buy Heartificial Empathy
Paperback (RRP US$19.95 / c. £16) · Ebook (RRP US$14.99 / c. £12) · Audiobook
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Ebook
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Audiobook
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For audiobook listeners
Figures, addenda and extra resources
Coming from the audiobook? Here are the figures, addenda and extra resources that feature in the book. They're password protected, as they're exclusive to audiobook listeners.
2nd edition
1st edition resources
Press & podcasts about the book
- ABC Australia radio with Lisa Leong and Danielle Krettek Cobb (Google Empathy Lab): Empathy at work and artificial intelligence (Mar 2021)
- NicciTalbot Substack – Sneak peek review of Heartificial Empathy (removed) (Mar 2021)
- McKinsey podcast with David DeLallo: Getting the feels. Should AI have empathy? (July 2020)
- Futureproof podcast with Jeremy Goldman: Building empathy into the brands of the future (Mar 2020)
- CalvinAyre: Implementing automation and chatbots in gambling operations, by Derek Tonin (Mar 2020)
- Duct Tape Marketing with John Jantsch: Here's to empathy in business (April 2020)
- Analytics Insight: Artificial empathy or coding empathy into machines, by Upasana Bharadwaj (Jan 2020)
- Forbes: Empathy in Artificial Intelligence, by Jun Wu (Dec 2019)
- Raconteur: AI and trust: why we shouldn't blindly follow tech, by Oliver Pickup (Dec 2019)
- You, Me, Empathy with Non Wels: Putting heart into business (Spotify, Dec 2019)
- The Digital Transformation Podcast with Rob Llewellyn: Artificial intelligence and the heartfelt business of empathy (Nov 2019)
- The Growth Hacking Show with Ed Rich: Heartificial Empathy (Oct 2019)
- INSEAD Knowledge: Five everyday exercises for building empathy (July 2019)
- Target Internet with Ciaran Rogers and Daniel Rowles: The Heartificial Empathy interview (July 2019)
- Speaking.com: Empathy, AI & leadership, an exclusive interview (June 2019)
- L'idée qui tue par Nicolas Bordas (en français): Et si l'intelligence artificielle (nous) apprenait l'empathie (June 2019)
- Ideapod: To develop empathy, a most untapped lever of productivity and core to good conversation (June 2019)
- Practical Futurist with Andrew Grill: The future of AI and ethics (June 2019)
- Yak About Today with David Yakir: What is empathy and where has it gone? (May 2019)
- FutureTech Podcast with Rich Jacobs: How good business practice can make us better people (May 2019)
- Superception with Christophe Lachnitt: podcast episode 47 (May 2019)
- Marketing Today with Alan Hart: Author Minter Dial always seeking to “elevate the debate” (April 2019)
- Six Pixels of Separation with Mitch Joel: Minter Dial and Heartificial Empathy (April 2019)
- Culture of Empathy with Edwin Rutsch (April 2019)
- MadMork with Patrick Mork: Empathy and the future of AI (April 2019)
- The Pull Agency: book review by Chris Bullick (March 2019)
- Total Business Magazine: The ethical entrepreneur, top ethical tips for starting an ethical business (Mar 2019)
- ByteStart: How improving empathy can help grow your business (Mar 2019)
- MarketingProfs podcast with Kerry Gorgone: How to put heart into your business (Mar 2019)
- The Shark's Perspective with Kenneth Kinney: Heartificial Empathy is the new black (Mar 2019)
- SXSW 2019: How to put empathy into business and AI, Austin Convention Center (10 March 2019)
- Disruption Magazine, Winter 2019: The disruption of empathy (pp. 46–49)
- Irish Tech News: book review by Simon Cocking (Feb 2019)
- Brand Genetics: Speed summary of Heartificial Empathy (Feb 2019)
- The Marketplace Podcast with Priest Willis (23 Feb 2019)
- RARE podcast with Adrian Swinscoe: What more empathy in business and AI will look like (6 Feb 2019)
- Social Pros podcast with Adam Brown: How personal tragedy illuminated business empathy (6 Feb 2019)
- Grow, Sell & Retire with BD Dalton (Spreaker)
FAQ
What changed in the 2nd edition?
It's about 50% longer than the 2018 first edition, with an update on conversational AI, therapeutic AI and attempts to insert more empathy into business and AI applications.
Is it available in French?
Yes: L'Empathie au cœur de l'intelligence artificielle, released at the same time as the 2nd edition.
About the author
Minter Dial
Professional speaker on leadership, transformation and branding, author of award-winning books, and producer of the WWII book and documentary film The Last Ring Home. My mission is to insert more meaningfulness into our lives and at work.
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