Increasing numbers of businesses are integrating artificial intelligence into various sectors, leading to an unexpected trend: the use of AI in understanding human emotions. Known as emotion AI, this technology is predicted by PitchBook’s latest Enterprise Saas Emerging Tech Research report to grow significantly.
The basic idea is clear: if AI assistants are to be effective for executives and employees, or if AI chatbots are to serve as the first point of customer service and sales, these AI systems must grasp the nuances of human emotions. Can an AI discern between an angry or confused query merely from the phrase “What do you mean by that?”
Functioning as a more advanced version of sentiment analysis, which extracts human emotions from text-based interactions, emotion AI combines visual, audio, and other inputs through machine learning and psychology to recognize emotions in interactions. It promises a more nuanced understanding.
Leading AI cloud providers, including Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services, offer access to emotion AI capabilities, although they’ve faced controversies. Despite this, the infusion of bots into the workplace suggests a promising future for emotion AI in the business realm, as reported by PitchBook.
According to Derek Hernandez of PitchBook, with the expansion of AI assistants and automated interactions, emotion AI is poised to enhance human-like understanding and responses. He mentions that cameras and microphones play a crucial role in capturing emotional cues, suggesting a future where even wearables could employ emotion AI.
New startups, such as Uniphore and MorphCast among others, have emerged, securing significant funding to further develop emotion AI technologies.
However, the technology’s validity has been questioned. A 2019 study argued that human emotions cannot be accurately determined through facial movements, highlighting the challenges of accurately interpreting emotions.
Regulatory hurdles, such as the European Union’s AI Act, also pose potential limits to the application of emotion AI, especially in sensitive areas.
Despite these challenges, the quest for integrating emotional understanding into AI highlights Silicon Valley’s ambition towards an AI-driven future in the workplace, raising questions about the effectiveness of these emotionally informed AI bots.