Affectiva :

Emotion sensing facial recognition software

)
What is the emerging ethical dilemma all about?

Affectiva is an emotion recognition technology, utilizing verbal cues and

non-verbal cues such as facial expression and gestures to determine a
person’s emotion or feeling.

As a form of artificial intelligence, it achieves this by means of hardware

(affect sensors which detects user emotional responses) and specialized
software.
 Affectiva :
Emotion sensing facial recognition software
)
What factors or events led to this dilemma?
 Corporate factors
- Employee productivity (analysis of performance on emotional scale)
- Market research (raw, unfiltered data can be obtained from study populations)

 Personal factors
- Safety and security (protection from theft/criminals through prediction)
- Psychological care (more accurate diagnosis of persons under care)
 Affectiva :
Emotion sensing facial recognition software
)
What are the societal implications of this dilemma?

In the public sphere, emotion-sensing technology (EST) can be used and

incorporated in everyday situations, such as in the fields of education,
banking and finance, civil administration, and business.

The answer to the question is not simple but complex due to the many levels
and fields in which EST may affect society.
 Affectiva :
Emotion sensing facial recognition software
)
Why is it important to question the moral and ethical issues surrounding
innovations in science and technology?

Changes in society bring about changes in human life as well, in that the
individual is a proper subset of the group.
The presence of new choices leave great voids of moral questions to be
answered, and given that no person is above the moral law or the common
good it is necessary that whenever developments may arise, these are to be
subjugated for the good of humanity and not the reverse.
 Affectiva :
Emotion sensing facial recognition software
)
In the face of this dilemma, why is it important to study STS?

Studying STS is important because no human being is exempt from interaction &
development of science and society. The development of emotion-sensing
technology (EST) such as Affectiva is just one example of development which
confronts the human condition at present.

Progress and development inevitably affect us, therefore we must always ensure
that these are in line with the common good and that the effects of progress and
development do not lead to the degeneracy of humanity as a whole.