Can AI really be emotionally intelligent?

Is emotional AI really the next frontier for artificial intelligence? In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, author Philip K Dick questions the notion that an artificial brain could ever be capable of understanding emotion. Is it possible for a machine to really ever have an emotional connection with a human if it can't empathise or express emotion itself? What may well have been science fiction in 1968 is now a topic up for debate amongst many within the artificial intelligence industry. As AI advancements march forward, many believe that emotional intelligence is what's next for the industry.