Value and Impact of Emotional AI – Basic (EMAI4EU)

This course examines the emergence of Emotional Artificial Intelligence as both a technological innovation and a societal phenomenon. Students first learn how affective computing works: the detection of emotional signals in faces, voices and bodies, the models used to describe emotion (categorical and dimensional, including the circumplex model), the combination of several signals, and the ways machines express emotion through agents and robots. The module also discusses the limits of this simulation: the uncanny valley, the question of whether machine emotions are real, and the role of trust.

About the course

It also studies how EAI is used in everyday and professional contexts: artificial empathy and virtual companions, affective tutoring systems in education, mental health and AI-assisted diagnosis, well-being and surveillance at work, neuromarketing and emotional persuasion, and emotionally enhanced customer experience, with real estate as a case. Science fiction, from HAL 9000 to Her, is used as a guide to future uses and as an ethical compass.

Finally, the course addresses the risks. Emotions become data: the module examines the channels of emotional capture, invisible surveillance, and the legal framework, in particular the European AI Act and its treatment of emotion recognition. It then analyses algorithmic bias, culturally situated emotions, the in-group advantage, the lessons of Gender Shades, and the cases of discrimination it produces, before turning to the commercial and political exploitation of emotional vulnerabilities. 

The course is primarily intended for master's students in computer science with limited background in social sciences, and is open to professionals who wish to understand the promises and risks of these technologies.

Course structure

• Introduction

• Module 1 – The principle of Emotional AI (Units 1–3): what Emotional AI is; how emotion is captured (face, voice, physiological signals) and modelled; how machines express emotion and the illusion of emotion.

• Module 2 – Perspectives in the use of Emotional AI (Units 4–6): human relationships, education, health and management; Emotional AI as a commercial companion in marketing and sales; science fiction as a guide to future uses.

• Module 3 – The risks associated with Emotional AI (Units 7–9): emotional surveillance and privacy, including the European AI Act; algorithmic bias and discrimination; increased risks of manipulation.

• Conclusion and references

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Describe the foundational principles, key concepts and technical mechanisms of Emotional AI: emotion capture, computational modelling and affective expression by artificial systems.

• Analyse how Emotional AI is deployed in healthcare, education, marketing and management, and assess the benefits and limitations of these applications.

• Identify the ethical, privacy and security issues raised by the development and use of Emotional AI, including emotional surveillance, algorithmic bias and manipulation.

• Situate Emotional AI within the current European regulatory framework and discuss the conditions for its responsible design and deployment.

Further details

This course is developed within the framework of the EMAI4EU project, with the support of the Digital Europe Programme of the European Union. More information on the course is available on the project's website via here.