Computers are slowly but surely learning to read our emotions. Will this mean a future without privacy, or perhaps a golden age of more compassionate and helpful machines? This edition of the Sleepwalkers podcast looks at AI's growing power to "read" us--and investigates the sinister and the positive uses of the technology. Poppy Crum, chief scientist at Dolby Labs and a professor at Stanford University, is using advanced sensors and AI to capture emotional signals. From thermal sensors that track blood flow to CO2 monitors that detect our breathing rates and cameras that track microscopic facial recognition, it's getting harder to maintain a poker face in front of machines.

For millions of successful poker players, the key to outwitting other players often rests in the face. The'poker face' -- a blank expression that never gives away a good or a bad hand -- has become one of the most iconic looks associated with professional poker players. A new artificial intelligence system might change that entirely. In a recent TED Conference talk, Dolby Laboratories chief scientist Poppy Crum detailed the company's new innovation that could see right through someone's expressions. Dolby developed a combined sensor and AI system that can tell whether someone is lying, infatuated, or posed for violence, Crum said at a big ideas TED Conference.

VANCOUVER: Dolby Laboratories chief scientist Poppy Crum tells of a fast-coming time when technology will see right through people no matter how hard they try to hide their feelings. Sensors combined with artificial intelligence can reveal whether someone is lying, infatuated, or poised for violence, Crum detailed at a big ideas TED Conference. "It is the end of the poker face," Crum said. We will know more about each other than we ever have." Eye dilation reveals how hard a brain is working, and heat radiating from the skin signals whether we are stressed or even romantically piqued. The amount of carbon dioxide exhaled can signal how riled up someone, or a crowd, is getting. Micro-expressions and chemicals in breath reveal feelings. The timing of someone's speech can expose whether they are at risk of dementia, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, or bipolar disorder, according to the neuroscientist. Brain waves can indicate whether someone's attention is elsewhere in a room, regardless of the fact their gaze is locked on the person in front of them. Technology exists to read such cues and, combined with artificial intelligence that can analyze patterns and factor in context, can magnify empathy if used for good or lead to abuses if used to oppress or manipulate, said Crum. "It is really scary on one level, but on another level it is really powerful," Crum said. "We can bridge the emotional divide." She gave examples of a high school counselor being able to tell whether a seemingly cheery student is having a hard time, or police quickly knowing if someone acting bizarrely has a health condition or is criminally violent. One could skip scanning profiles on dating apps and, instead, scan people for genuine interest. Artists would be able to see the emotional reactions people have to their creations. "I realize a lot of people are having a hard time with people sharing our data, or knowing something we didn't want to share," Crum said. "I am not looking to create a world where our inner lives are ripped open, but I am looking to create a world where we can care about each other more effectively." With emotion-reading rooms, smart speakers, or accessories on their way, Crum is keen to see rules in place to make sure benefits are equally available to all while malicious uses are prevented. "It is something people need to realize is here and is going to happen; so let's make it happen in a way we have control over," Crum told AFP. "We will be able to know more about each other than we ever have.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – Dolby Laboratories chief scientist Poppy Crum tells of a fast-coming time when technology will see right through people no matter how hard they try to hide their feelings. Sensors combined with artificial intelligence can reveal whether someone is lying, infatuated or poised for violence, Crum detailed at a big ideas TED Conference. "It is the end of the poker face," Crum said. We will know more about each other than we ever have." Eye dilation reveals how hard a brain is working, and heat radiating from the skin signals whether we are stressed or even romantically piqued. The amount of carbon dioxide exhaled can signal how riled up someone, or a crowd, is getting. Microexpressions and chemicals in breath reveal feelings. The timing of someone's speech can expose whether they are at risk of dementia, diabetes, multiple sclerosis or bipolar disorder, according to the neuroscientist. Brain waves can indicate whether someone's attention is elsewhere in a room, regardless of the fact their gaze is locked on the person in front of them. Technology exists to read such cues and, combined with artificial intelligence that can analyze patterns and factor in context, can magnify empathy if used for good or lead to abuses if used to oppress or manipulate, said Crum. "It is really scary on one level, but on another level it is really powerful," Crum said. "We can bridge the emotional divide." She gave examples of a high school counselor being able to tell whether a seemingly cheery student is having a hard time, or police quickly knowing if someone acting bizarrely has a health condition or is criminally violent. One could skip scanning profiles on dating apps and, instead, scan people for genuine interest. Artists would be able to see the emotional reactions people have to their creations. "I realize a lot of people are having a hard time with people sharing our data, or knowing something we didn't want to share," Crum said. "I am not looking to create a world where our inner lives are ripped open, but I am looking to create a world where we can care about each other more effectively." With emotion-reading rooms, smart speakers or accessories on their way, Crum is keen to see rules in place to make sure benefits are equally available to all while malicious uses are prevented. "It is something people need to realize is here and is going to happen; so let's make it happen in a way we have control over," Crum said. "We will be able to know more about each other than we ever have.

Dolby Laboratories chief scientist Poppy Crum tells of a fast-coming time when technology will see right through people no matter how hard they try to hide their feelings. Sensors combined with artificial intelligence can reveal whether someone is lying, infatuated, or poised for violence, Crum detailed at a big ideas TED Conference. "It is the end of the poker face," Crum said. We will know more about each other than we ever have." Eye dilation reveals how hard a brain is working, and heat radiating from the skin signals whether we are stressed or even romantically piqued. The amount of carbon dioxide exhaled can signal how riled up someone, or a crowd, is getting. Micro-expressions and chemicals in breath reveal feelings. The timing of someone's speech can expose whether they are at risk of dementia, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, or bipolar disorder, according to the neuroscientist. Brain waves can indicate whether someone's attention is elsewhere in a room, regardless of the fact their gaze is locked on the person in front of them. Technology exists to read such cues and, combined with artificial intelligence that can analyze patterns and factor in context, can magnify empathy if used for good or lead to abuses if used to oppress or manipulate, said Crum. "It is really scary on one level, but on another level it is really powerful," Crum said. "We can bridge the emotional divide." She gave examples of a high school counselor being able to tell whether a seemingly cheery student is having a hard time, or police quickly knowing if someone acting bizarrely has a health condition or is criminally violent. One could skip scanning profiles on dating apps and, instead, scan people for genuine interest. Artists would be able to see the emotional reactions people have to their creations. "I realize a lot of people are having a hard time with people sharing our data, or knowing something we didn't want to share," Crum said. "I am not looking to create a world where our inner lives are ripped open, but I am looking to create a world where we can care about each other more effectively." With emotion-reading rooms, smart speakers, or accessories on their way, Crum is keen to see rules in place to make sure benefits are equally available to all while malicious uses are prevented. "It is something people need to realize is here and is going to happen; so let's make it happen in a way we have control over," Crum told AFP. "We will be able to know more about each other than we ever have.

The data we share with companies online has become a hot-button issue, but new technologies could soon be scanning us as we go about our day. That's the claim made by a neuroscientist, who believes that devices in the real world will start gathering unprecedented levels of information about us. Our bodies give off various signals that can be scanned and analysed by advanced computer systems, revealing everything from our current mood to our overall health. In a similar way to wearable gadgets already available, future devices could be set up throughout public spaces to harvest this valuable bio-data. Because they are part of our surrounding environment there will be no way for us to opt out or ditch the technology and new regulations will be needed, she warns.

Regardless of training, most people who come in contact with the field of AI are at least partially motivated by the glimmer of hope that they will get a better understanding of the mind. This quest, of course, is a rich and complex one. It is easy to get mired in minutiae along the way, be they the optimization of an algorithm, the details of a mental model, or the intricacies of a logical argument. Thagard's book attempts to call us back to the larger picture and to draw in new devotees--and, in general, he succeeds. This book begins, "Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary study of mind and intelligence..." (p.

Understanding the mind is one of the great "holy grails" of twentieth-century research. Regardless of training, most people who come in contact with the field of AI are at least partially motivated by the glimmer of hope that they will get a better understanding of the mind. This quest, of course, is a rich and complex one. It is easy to get mired in minutiae along the way, be they the optimization of an algorithm, the details of a mental model, or the intricacies of a logical argument. Thagard's book attempts to call us back to the larger picture and to draw in new devotees -- and, in general, he succeeds.