A few years ago, an executive at WeWork floated an idea to track people’s moods via cameras and listening devices in co-working spaces. The prototype was bad at spotting happy workers but dystopian vision never disappeared. Microsoft has filed a patent to record body language in meetings, Amazon to track emotions via voice, and Meta to analyse wearer’s emotions with a wearable AI device.\n\nNearly two-thirds of large US companies monitor employees in some form, according to Gartner. Pushback against “bossware” exists, but employee monitoring services from Teramind, Time Doctor and Activ Trak flourish.

The EU’s AI Act bans emotion inference in the workplace, but no equivalent US ban exists. The FTC is concerned about opacity and testing.\n\nCollecting biometric data in the name of security makes us supine about privacy. Platforms like Instagram test visual age verification; Gap installed an eyeball scanner at its San Francisco store.

Cupertino start-up Imentiv AI already reads emotions from job candidates’ expressions.\n\nSurveilling expressions is a quick way to induce burnout, dissatisfaction, distrust and paranoia — nothing to smile about.