Emotional Artificial Intelligence in Educational and Organizational Systems: Opportunities, Risks, and Ethical Challenges
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65222/VIRAL.2026.6.37.57Keywords:
Abstract
Recent advances in artificial intelligence have accelerated the development of systems capable of detecting, interpreting, and responding to human emotions through facial expressions, vocal patterns, physiological signals, and behavioral data. These developments have stimulated growing interest in the use of emotional artificial intelligence across organizational and educational settings, where emotion-aware technologies are increasingly employed to support recruitment, employee management, learner engagement, customer interactions, and decision-making processes. Although these technologies promise greater personalization, improved communication, and more responsive institutional environments, they simultaneously introduce significant ethical, governance, and societal challenges.
This paper examines emotional artificial intelligence as an institutional and governance phenomenon rather than as a purely technological innovation. Drawing on interdisciplinary scholarship from management studies, organizational ethics, educational governance, and information systems, the study develops a conceptual framework for understanding how emotion-aware technologies reshape relationships between individuals and institutions. The analysis suggests that emotional AI may strengthen organizational responsiveness and support well-being initiatives when implemented within transparent and accountable governance structures. At the same time, the collection and interpretation of emotional data generate concerns regarding surveillance, emotional privacy, algorithmic bias, manipulation, and the redistribution of decision-making authority from human actors to automated systems.
Adopting an interpretivist and systems-oriented perspective, the paper proposes a governance framework that conceptualizes responsible emotional AI as a socio-technical system requiring ethical oversight, institutional accountability, and continuous human judgment. The study argues that the central challenge facing organizations and educational institutions is not whether emotional AI should be adopted, but under what conditions such technologies can remain compatible with human dignity, individual autonomy, and democratic values. By positioning emotional AI within broader debates concerning governance and institutional legitimacy, the paper contributes to the emerging literature on responsible artificial intelligence and provides a conceptual foundation for future empirical and comparative research.
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