For the system I am familiar with (on a pointy, grey aeroplane), there is no artificial feel. Basically, the more you pull or push, the harder it gets to do so. If I recall, the relationship between stick force and displacement is linear. I think there is a damping force too. There is a breakout force to get away from centre stick.
Would that not be regarded as artificial feel then, if it feels as though the stick is actually connected to something? And surely the increasing force required to move the stick further from the centre point is simulating aerodynamic forces to some extent?