Can AI understand emotions better than humans?
Large language models (LLMs) are a type of AI capable of understanding and generating human language by processing massive amounts of data. As they become more complex and human-like, their ability to replicate human emotions will only get better.
Showdown over higher emotional IQ
Improving emotional intelligence in LLMs can greatly enhance their performance so that they better perceive, understand and respond to emotional states. But what is their ability to understand emotions and to generate emotionally intelligent behaviour? To address these questions, a research team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the University of Bern (UniBE) in Switzerland tested six AIs, including ChatGPT, using emotional intelligence assessments originally designed to evaluate humans. The findings were published in the journal ‘Communications Psychology’(opens in new window). ‘‘We chose five tests commonly used in both research and corporate settings. They involved emotionally charged scenarios designed to assess the ability to understand, regulate, and manage emotions,’’ explained lead author Katja Schlegel, lecturer and principal investigator at the Division of Personality Psychology, Differential Psychology, and Assessment at the Institute of Psychology at UniBE, in a news release(opens in new window). An example of a scenario came in the form of a question: One of Michael’s colleagues has stolen his idea and is being unfairly congratulated. What would be Michael’s most effective reaction? The four options were: argue with the colleague involved; talk to his superior about the situation; silently resent his colleague; and steal an idea back. This scenario showed how emotional intelligence tests assess decision-making in challenging circumstances. Michael’s most effective reaction was to talk to his superior because it dealt with the issue in a professional and fair way, instead of acting on impulse or seeking retaliation.
Excelling at emotional intelligence tests
“In the end, the LLMs achieved significantly higher scores — 82% correct answers versus 56% for humans. This suggests that these AIs not only understand emotions, but also grasp what it means to behave with emotional intelligence,” stated Marcello Mortillaro, senior scientist at the UNIGE’s Swiss Center for Affective Sciences. To further examine AI’s capacity to evaluate emotional intelligence, the researchers then had ChatGPT-4 develop new tests that were taken by over 400 people. These AI-generated emotional intelligence tests matched the assessments designed by experts in terms of clarity and realism. ‘‘They proved to be as reliable, clear and realistic as the original tests, which had taken years to develop,’’ added Schlegel. ‘‘LLMs are therefore not only capable of finding the best answer among the various available options, but also of generating new scenarios adapted to a desired context. This reinforces the idea that LLMs, such as ChatGPT, have emotional knowledge and can reason about emotions,’’ concluded Mortillaro. The fact that the AIs were also able to generate new, reliable emotional intelligence tests very quickly shows both great promise and potential. AI, if supervised properly by experts, could significantly contribute to fields normally considered the domain of humans, such as education, coaching and conflict resolution.