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'Facecrime' reminds me of the phrase 'If looks could kill'. One's facial expression can certainly tell a lot about one's emotional state. But it has been said that resting bitch faces look angry even when their owners are feeling neutral.   (Saedi, Goal Auzeen (August 8, 2015). "Do You Suffer From 'Bitchy Resting Face'?". Psychology Today.)

If this is a fairly common phenomenon, then Emotion AI may be doing children a disservice by trying to placate them with 'suitable' activities when they are not feeling any frustration or sadness about their lessons.

While the concept of personalizing a child's lessons has merit, there should be other points of reference that could corroborate what an app like 'Little Dragon EQ' is concluding about the child's mental and emotional readiness to learn or review his lessons. Such other references could be the human teacher's assessment of the child's state of mind, her interaction with the child and the academic track record of that child in that class. Having these psycho-social and academic markers corroborate the app's  assessment of the child would give a more wholistic and true view of the child that would be beneficial to him or her

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Like Aggie I am always looking for the work around. Countries have spent millions to over come facial recognition software when it comes to military actions. I can see some very smart teenager learning how to time the camera's capture timing to "look engaged" I think regardless of the fail safes put in place this does scream of 1984 to me. I don't think at this juncture in my life I could be convinced that this is a good idea.

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After reading the article of the chinese school implementing AI to monitor behaviour, I wonder how students will adapt to this. Whether they will find a way to make their face look engaged while not being engaged. My other question is do those people with Resting B* Face automatically get a negative score?
As an early primary teacher, I really don't see a immediate place for AI in the classroom

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I would want to see Emotional AI innovation be directed in its ability to understand 1:1 human-computer interactions. For example, when a person/student is on a computer – learning, gaming, chatting, creating, solving – what do the combination of their expressions and physical gestures and speed/slowness of their device interactions tell us about how they are learning? I agree with all who have cited that this blurs an ethical line. But directed toward good, could it not also help us uncover unknowns about learning differences, student-content relationships, learning disabilities and lack of understanding among students?

I would invest if the right mix of human, ethical, social and technology boxes were checked because I'd want see such an endeavour succeed under the thoughtful direction of techno do-gooders.

Thank you very much for your contributions Henna.

I fully agree with you that Emotion AI does the capability to provide us with new and remarkable information by the way in which people learn.  Not all companies, however, are intend on seeing this technology used for such ethical purposes.  Here in lines the problem of designing a technology with a plethora of uses.

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The concept of Emotion AI and how it could be used carries with it come serious ethical considerations, so I'd be hesitant to fund a venture based on its legal ramifications beyond all else. Will there come a time that an AI powered machine can manipulate humans for alternative gains? To exert social influence? This might very well come into play, as the discussion around targeted marketing echoes similar concerns.

Another concern might be around AI and detecting emotions which might result in unintended consequences of how it might respond to certain human cues. Propositional as well as situational and context-relevant logic must all be incorporated into the AI algorithms, which may not be fully quantifiable.

An even bigger question might be how this technology could be used outside of the classroom, for social or political subversion, or decision making, and how that may impact us on both societal and individual levels. I'm getting into conspiracy theory a little bit here, but it's a slippery slope when ethics are a factor. Very interesting discussion, nonetheless.

Thank you very much for your insightful observations Reg.

I 100% agree with you that the way in which this technology is used outside of the classroom could have dire consequences.  Imagine a situation where one could be arrested simply by looking angrily at a political figure during a speech or not smiling in public at an appropriate time.  Theoretically Emotion AI could be developed into an ‘Automated Thought Police.’

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I definitely see the educational benefits for using Emotional AI in the classroom, however, if I were an investor, I would have to pass on this for many reasons. First of all, this to me seems like an invasion of privacy whether or not a student is too young to notice, or a student in post-secondary school. Being human, I think we are all entitled to feel and think the way we want without people watching and judging us based on the wrinkles and position of our features...On the other hand, I can't see Emotional AI ever being 100% reliable. Everyone expresses themselves differently, depending on a variety of factors. I think we need to get better at communicating our emotions and feelings with one another face to face, not rely on an AI to do the job for us. What is that solving/accomplishing in terms of social-emotional learning??..

Hello Katie,

Thank you for your contributions.

I think one of the potential benefits of Emotion AI is the theoretical ability to be everywhere at once.  If we are able to monitor the emotions of an entire classroom than we can than provide better emotional support to those who require it.  Potentially Emotion AI could be used to ensure students are no-longer suffering in silence.

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Hello, I would like to say that his discussion question had me imagine what the classrooms might be like with AI in the future. Focusing on the Emotion AI, I am not sure if implementing or investing on the idea will be beneficial to our students. I think emotion is something quite personal which does have effect on students learning outcome. I do remember when I was teaching in elementary school, especially in primary grades, students had to sign in by showing which emotional state they were that day. Teachers had lessons with students on teaching and discussing strategies to make each other feel better. However, I do not think implementing an AI that monitors students’ emotion from the beginning of the day to the end is an answer. Sometimes, facial expression and emotion is something that cannot be controlled at wills all the time. Just with the thought of AI examining something that I might not have wanted to show seems stressful for me.

Very interesting Heeweon,

I’m extremely curious in finding about students signing in by displaying their emotional state.  How did they do this?  If they came to school in a ‘bad mood’ what did their day look like compared to students who came to school in a ‘good mood.’  I do think a student’s emotional state should be assessed to ensure a healthy lifestyle.  It’s interesting to hear about how this was assessed on a regular basis.

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I would agree with Adam that Emotion AI and AI, in general, is one technology that leaves me with a fairly high level of apprehension.  Usually, I am open to endorsing the adoption of most educational technology as I trust in the evolutionary pressures on emerging technologies; effective technologies will be selected for and less effective technologies will be selected against.  Emotion AI, along with AI more generally will inevitably prove to be incredibly effective online learning tools and disrupt and reshape our culture of learning.  I have noticed over the last years, the number of students choosing to take senior math courses online has exploded. The main drawback to online learning is that it can be less engaging than traditional face-to-face instruction and demands a higher level of motivation and discipline on behalf of the student (I speak tutoring a number of students taking classes online who lack the ability to self-motivate and learn independently!)  Emotion AI has advantage to better engage the online learner by better gauging the learner’s current emotional propensity to challenge and learning.  As a tutor, I have a leg up on online math modules because I have constant access to my student’s emotional barometer.  I can maximize the processing capabilities of my students because I am privy to a wealth of non-verbal cues.  Emotion AI affords computers, however, with access to these same non-verbal cues and, therefore, allows online learning to adapt instruction and assessment to best meet the emotional state of the learner. This will undoubtedly revolutionize personalized education but at what unforeseen cost?  While learning can certainly be a joyful act, it is often the result of a great deal of practice, dedication and hard work.  My students are generally willing to put in the hard work, at least to some degree, because they value my praise, support, and recognition. I am concerned with how Emotion AI will be able to provide the same quality of connection with students in order to inspire students to be their best selves. How will Emotion AI evolve to authentically meet the emotional needs of its learners?  How will Emotion AI build relationships that are, in my opinion, paramount to effective education?

Hello Bryn,

Thank you very much for your post.  I too tutor one-to-one on a regular basis and run into the exact same problems of motivating single students.  I’ve been in Rome for the past month, more or less working as a private teacher.  The student I am working with is 10 years old.  During this time I have found myself constantly having to monitor his level of engagement as his mood changes based upon what subject we are covering.  I never record any of this information (I probably should.). I do agree with you that there could be a market in which Emotion AI is able to monitor this.  If there is some type of technology that could implemented that does not involve the student constantly having to look towards a camera I think that might remove a lot of the negativity that accompanies Emotion AI.

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This is a very interesting concept that likely will see tons of growth in the future, so as an EVA it probably is a good investment opportunity, however, I just can't get behind the idea of EI-AI! I find myself asking why do we need AI and emotion analytics -- in other words, what is the unmet need for this tech and how is it going to functionally improve our lives? The notion that cameras linked to AI processors in classrooms to help better identify the emotional state of students may sound great, but I would argue any human, should they be so interested, could walk into a room and tell in moments the emotional state of the learners. In fact, the more a teacher circulates the room and 'checks in' with the students, the more the teacher will decode and process students body language, mannerisms, and attitudes. Now if a teacher were to just sit at a desk and busy him/herself while students busily work, perhaps this technology would be of benefit. However, I would
argue that teachers, and really, humans in any industry should be utilizing relationship skills to interact with students, customers and clients. My fear here is that this type of technology will act to further isolate and separate humans and ultimately be counterintuitive. Humans are relational. The AI-EI concept to me, seems like an over reliance on machines to discern the emotional status of our students, friends, customers or clients. Perhaps I am old fashion at the old age of 37, but I the AI-EI concept is frightening to me. Check out this series of articles to get a strong perspective suggesting that AI-EI is being developed for the wrong reasons: https://medium.com/@JonathanCCook/it-isnt-emotional-ai-it-s-psychopathic-ai-63a910282985

Hello Dustin,

Thank you for your contributions.

I think one of the potential benefits of Emotion AI is the theoretical ability to be everywhere at once.  If we are able to monitor the emotions of an entire classroom than we can than provide better emotional support to those who require it.  Potentially Emotion AI could be used to ensure students are no-longer suffering in silence.

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I would definitely not invest in such kind of venture. Emotions are so personal, cultural and most importantly variable.
Previous work has shown a discomfort with humanlike robots, with people ascribing more emotions to them. In a study published by the psychologists Kurt Gray of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and Daniel Wegner (now deceased) in 2012, participants watched a brief video of a robot’s head either from the front, where they could see its “human” face, or from behind, where they saw electrical components. The ones who watched its face rated it as more capable of feeling pain and fear, and as a result they felt more “creeped out.”

I question that how sure are we that AI can define what emotions we feel are 100% correct and how it is helping in learning?

Source:
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/03/beware-emotional-robots-giving-feelings-artificial-beings-could-backfire-study-suggests

Hello Harshita,

Your concerns about the limitations of Emotion AI are certainly valid.  In a variety of schools, throughout the United States, AI Facial recognition has been used to identify parents and students for security purposes.  Issues have arisen as the technology is sometimes more clearly able to identify one race as opposed to another.  This has developed into a problem of racial profiling as students enter the school.  This is a perfect example of of dicey a situation can become when ICT does not work properly.

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Hmm. I'm going to take the role of devil's advocate here.

I'm not investing in this tech.

I see the potential benefit of being able to gauge emotional health of students, let me take a more selfish approach here.

I'm an anxious guy by nature, I have been since my early teens. While generally outgoing and talkative now, I also need twice as much "me" time  as the time I spend with others to make sure I have the energy to contribute anything to a situation. I'm also intensely private, and I don't open up to people easily.
I guess I like my space.

What's my point?
I don't want Emotion AI getting in my space either. I don't mind people making their own judgments about me, my current emotional state and so on, from my facial expressions, my posture, etc, but I don't want a machine determining how it thinks I am feeling and feeding this to someone else who is going to use that data to try and help me out. I have a real fear some teachers would rely heavily on this tech - I have known a number of teachers with shockingly low emotional intelligence considering the influence of their position - and that scares me. Plus, I really do not buy that you can determine someone's emotional state through facial expression, or even through tone. Firstly, my facial expression when I'm really enjoying someone speaking is almost totally "flat" - how is the system gonna judge that? I can't be the only one in this boat. Second, what about culture? Put simply, people from different cultures express themselves differently. I smile a lot in general, and when I traveled across Russia people were literally asking me "Why do you smile so much?". They thought it strange.

It's all too Big Brother for me. Don't apply this to education; use it in special medical or therapeutic circumstances for use by highly-trained professionals. Let our emotional state remain a bastion where we feel our brains aren't being picked apart by machines without our consent!

Am I off-base? Can you assuage my concerns and fears?
Can you tell my emotional state from my words??  :D

Hey Scott,

You bring up an excellent point in the way different people express emotions differently.  Off the top of my head I can think of the example of laughing out loud at a funeral.  Many would find this inappropriate but for some people this is the way they cope with sadness and grief.  I’m sure that the response of an programer of Emotion AI would be adamant that their program could adapt to situations like these.  I’m wondering if there’s a over sense of arrogance that is blinding many to the overall potential of AI.

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Schools are now focusing on the emotional state of our students. Our high school has flirted with the idea of having mental health days. An AI tool like Emotion AI would benefit teachers in understanding the moods of their students. This could help teachers facilitate the type of lessons based on the emotions of their students. However, I am unsure that students or teachers would be willing to have their emotions reach by each individual teacher that they encounter daily or if teachers would be comfortable learning about the emotional state of each individual student.
I see the benefit of knowing the emotional state of my students. This can allow me as the teacher to personal learning in a way that could enhance the learning of each individual student. Some work would have to be done in highlighting the benefits of the emotion AI in order to convince some teachers to see the benefit of AI in the classroom..

Hello Phillip,

Just to add to your point in regards to students being unwilling to having their emotions judged.  I wonder how a classroom of students would react knowing that they are ‘being watched.’  There are a number of areas in which this could effect classroom dynamics.  This could include an increase in anxiety as students become aware that every movement that make is being assessed.  Potentially one could see a decrease in classroom engagement because of this.