-
The Start of Artificial Intelligence
Alan turning proposed the concept of "machine learning" and the Turning Test in his seminal paper, "Computing Machinery and Intelligence" This era marks the foundational thinking about whether machines can mimic human intelligence, this is not about emotions yet but, Turning's ideas inspired later questions about emotional intelligence in AI https://www.britannica.com/technology/Turing-test -
Early Emotion Recognition
Scientists began to analyze speech and facial expressions for emotional cues. They were trying to connect technology with human emotions and they focused on recognizing patterns in voice tones and facial movements. Researchers aimed to detect anger or sadness in voice recordings. This early work influenced call centers allowing systems to assess customer frustration in real time -
Affective Computing
Rosalind Picard coins the term "affective computing" in her groundbreaking paper, and she defines it as the study and development of systems and devices that can recognize, interpret, process, and simulate human emotions. This term marked a turning point in human-computer interaction, emphasizing the importance of emotional intelligence in machines -
Clippy
This early attempt at affective computing failed when microsoft introduced Clippy (also known as "Clippy") It was an animated paperclip designed to assist users by interpreting their actions and offering help. But Clippy was intrusive and inconvenient, instead of enhancing productivity, it became a source of frustration people even began circulating a meme called "clippy must die" -
Emotion Detection in AI Systems
AI- powered facial recognition systems started to integrate emotional analysis. In 2009 Picard started her company "Affectiva" which specialized in emotion AI by analyzing facial expressions, voice tones, and physiological signals. The company developed tools to decode subtle emotional cues, allowing computers to detect emotions like happiness, sadness, anger, and frustration. -
Jibo: The personal Robot
Breazeal launched the "world's first social robot for the home" Jibo was designed to be a friendly assistant that could recognize faces, hold conversations, and perform simple task like reminders and photo-taking. It lacked mobility but it had an approachable design and AI capabilities that made it popular. Unfortunately Jibo shutdown due to it's high price point. https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/23/21325644/jibo-social-robot-ntt-disruptionfunding -
AI Powered Mental Health Coaches
As a psychology student, I predict that we will have AI systems integrated into wearables providing real-time mental health monitoring and coaching, these devices will use biometric data and contextual analysis to detect signs of anxiety or depression and they will offer personalized interventions like CBT therapy or DBT -
Empathetic Machine
Robots that are equipped with neurons and processors and synthetic hormones that will create emotional experiences these robots will have memories, and will be conscious, they can relate to people and other machines feelings and offer emotional support, they can even be in a caregiving role.