AI can be used in recruitment – ​​senses the candidate's emotions

At Stockholm University, researchers are developing an AI system that will be able to read emotions. The idea is, among other things, that AI should help therapists make a second assessment of how the client reacted to what was said during a therapy conversation.

- It can sometimes be difficult to perceive everything, such as body movements, facial expressions and tone of voice. It can also be difficult for a therapist to remember everything and then you can end up with preconceived notions about the conversation, says Lennart Högman, researcher at the Department of Psychology at Stockholm University.

Concern among researchers

AI tools are now being developed in most industries. In the World of Science: Behind AI, however, AI researchers express a concern about exactly how emotion reading might be used. As in, for example, recruitment.

- Say I'm looking for a job and am exposed to emotional reading. Based on my tone of voice and my facial expressions, things are claimed about whether I am a good and stable candidate. The computer can claim things about my inner self, says Meredith Whittaker, former Google researcher.

"Reason to be cautious"

Lennart Högman thinks that the concern is partially justified.

- There is reason to be careful in how we use this type of system. There can also be a superstition about how we can use it. The old lie detector dream. Some are very good at holding back emotions, some can't at all, says Lennart Högman.

See the World of Science: Behind AI on