Device & Virtue

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S3E4 - Now Computers Can Read Your Emotions! Be Happy. Or Afraid.

From autism to advertising, technology is reading people’s emotions like never before. Some say emotional intelligence is being outsourced. Others predict emotion tech is on the cusp of a multi-billion dollar payday. So . . . how do YOU feel about that?

No worries, the technology already knows.

Just like FitBit changed how we relate to our bodies, emotion tech will change how we relate to our feelings. Could it train us to be more empathetic and understanding? Or numb us to real human connection?

After meeting MIT Media Lab Professor Rosalind Picard—a leading researcher in “Emotion AI” and a Christian—Adam and Chris look at both the risks and possibilities of this bleeding-edge technology.

Links

Rosalind Picard talked with Christianity Today about her faith journey.

Get in touch with your feelings (apparently) with Woebot.

The advertising business jump started the Emotion AI industry. The Guardian published a great summary of the tech’s possibilities and liabilities.

Wired magazine offers a good overview of the big players in the Emotion AI industry. But emotion recognition is a contested by some researchers.

BONUS: Why is your newborn baby crying? Emotion AI wants to help parents figure that out. With this D&V episode fresh in your mind, apply your thinking cap to this article. PLUS, this’ll make for a killer conversation starter at your next party. We promise.

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