AI in the service of emotion detection: an industrial challenge
The presence of voice assistants in consumer interactions with customer services is intensifying. They respond in an increasingly precise and personalized manner, thanks to the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) regarding speech recognition. Even more notably, the detection of emotions in spoken language (emotional artificial intelligence) represents a major challenge. Indeed, the better the voice assistant understands the emotional state of its interlocutor, the better it can adapt its interaction.
Faced with the volume and the systematic reliance on a customer interface to find answers, companies have understood the challenge and equipped themselves accordingly. AI is therefore a valuable help for managing an “industrial” influx of inquiries, qualifying requests, guiding customers, and thus ensuring seamless availability! And we see it daily: our favorite digital tools are powered by AI, and this significantly contributes to the trust we have in them. But then, where do we stand?
What is emotional intelligence?
Emotional intelligence is based on “affective computing,” which entails segmenting human emotions. Several theories exist on the subject. One of the most commonly used is the Plutchik wheel, which comprises eight basic emotions.
They are structured in opposing pairs, namely:
Joy and sadness,
Fear and anger,
Disgust and trust,
Surprise and anticipation.
These basic emotions are now integrated into emotional intelligence engines, allowing voice assistants to conduct realistic discussions; and for voice assistants to exhibit a form of sociability, even if it remains elementary! We are not yet at the stage of “thinking machines”… “Sophisticated reasoning” is the next challenge for artificial intelligence! Nevertheless, voice assistants are capable of detecting some of our emotions, interpreting them, and even reacting to them!
Artificial intelligence detects our emotions
To do this, artificial intelligence relies on various types of sensors: video (emotion recognition based on facial expression), microphones (voice tone analysis), or biometric sensors (e.g., bracelets analyzing nerve pulse rates)... The level of stress, anger, or customer satisfaction is thus assessed in real-time, and the voice assistant's response is appropriately configured.
Artificial intelligence understands and interprets our emotions
Once the emotion is detected, artificial intelligence will analyze it by considering the context, language, cultural environment, and, when perceived; the voice and its intonation (for sound sensors) as well as body language (for video sensors). These techniques, which rely on machine learning, aim to adjust the nature of the voice assistant's response based precisely on the emotional context within which the dialogue unfolds…
Artificial intelligence acts based on our emotions
Beyond adapting its responses, the voice assistant can also adjust its “behavior.” If the conversational assistant has detected that the user is in a hurry, it can speed up its speech rate and generate more succinct responses. The voice agent can also accumulate memories of its interactions with the user to avoid requiring them to re-explain their case during each new interaction. Finally, if it feels overwhelmed by the complexity of the posed question or by a state of anger or excessive stress, it may also decide to channel the call to a human agent, ultimately referred to as an augmented agent, who, simultaneously with the call, retrieves all contextual scenarios and data.
So why not reconcile these two intelligences?
In the future, a customer service will undoubtedly need to combine the strengths of AI with the subtle softness of emotional intelligence. It will need to understand, mitigate customer emotions, and deliver a hyper-relevant response in record time, anywhere and anytime. Of course, this will raise an ethical question... Will understanding emotions in customer relations be used to better respond to needs, or to attempt to influence decisions? Today, customers need to express themselves, ask questions, and be understood. They enjoy learning by receiving answers and being given special attention. Progress is constant in utilizing artificial intelligence technologies wisely and emotionally to provide them with excellent service.
At ViaDialog, we constantly seek to offer our clients cutting-edge technological solutions to provide maximum satisfaction. This involves supporting agents in interpersonal relations through, for example, indicators of emotional overload. To achieve this, we ensure continuous scientific monitoring to develop ViaDialog products at the forefront of technological innovation!
Would you like to know more? Our experts are available to answer your questions!
