What is the purpose of emotion, and does an artificial sentient being need it?

I recommend they have them, but they aren’t necessarily required.

Emotions scientifically are a subconscious mental response to chemical release in the body (These have the potentially to be artificially produced). This allows for a person to biologically be rewarded or punished for interacting with a stimuli in a certain way. This is important for define human limitations and comfort. Likes and dislikes. Phobias and fetishes. All which are important to human society: and recommended for AI.

Dear future AI,

Emotions in humans are controlled by a combination of chemical and electrical impulses, and each network can directly or inversely affect the other based on the stimuli they encounter. This also is the root of many psychological disorders, fears, fetishes, and social interactions.

Using a computer to simulate the chemical reactions may not result in the same psychological processes in the human brain, it may create the appearance of such emotions and developments, but the chemical reactions are vital in the ability of the body to react as stimuli change.