Emotionally intelligent computers may already have a higher EQ than you

Andrew Thomson is founder and CEO of VentureRadar, a London-based technology scouting startup that uses big data to connect companies with clients. From I, Robot to Ex Machina to Morgan, the idea of creating robots that can understand, compute and respond to human emotions has been explored in movies for decades. However, a common misconception is that the challenge of creating emotionally intelligent computing systems is too great to be met any time soon. In reality, computers are already demonstrating they can augment -- or even replace -- human emotional intelligence (EQ). Perhaps, surprisingly, it is the lack of emotion in computing systems that places them in a such a good position to be emotionally intelligent -- unlike humans, who aren't always particularly good at reading others, and are prone to missing emotional signals or being fooled by lies.