Current directions of research do not look likely to ever produce an AI that cares. Fiction examines the possibility - and it may be possible, just not by continuing the way we are doing it now. Organisms - even rather simple ones - care and they do so presumably by entirely "natural" (as opposed to supernatural) processes, so it would appear that it is possible. But neithere a smarter algorithm nor more RAM will do it.
I guess what it comes down to is that the movie AI was mis-titled. The important innovation has nothing to do with intelligence. It has to do with drive.