“Other people will create the standards defining our emotional lives”

John C. Havens in Mashable:

In the near future, multiple devices equipped with facial, vocal and biometric sensors utilizing affective computing will be competing to analyze and influence our feelings… Soon you won’t need to prompt Siri, but simply respond when “she” says, “Your expression seems sad — should I download Trainwreck from iTunes?”

This Internet of Emotions has no ethical standards. While manufacturers’ intentions may be positive, how can people tell? And who decides what “positive” even means? Unless we control our identities other people will create the standards defining our emotional lives….

By definition the benefits of emotional intelligence don’t apply to autonomous devices since they don’t genuinely experience feelings. What they’re great at is recognizing our micro-expressions and then emulating empathy to generate a positive response from us.