Empathy is a fundamental aspect of human communication and inherently ‘human’. When applied to technology, its aim is to enable a machine to assess the cognitive and emotional experiences of the user through analysis of human expression to make human-machine interactions far more engaging and personal.
But by consenting to a machine accessing a consumer’s hidden emotional state new concerns regarding privacy and security, in addition to ethical considerations, are bought to light.
How far are consumers actually prepared to go in sharing very personal emotion-driven data? A cultural shift will be necessary for consumers to comfortably interact with empathetic solutions, even if value is perceived.