He Built an AI Model That Can Decode Your Emotions - Ep. 19 with Alan Cowen

The future of AI technology isn’t just faster or more powerful—it’s empathetic. My guest for this episode, Alan Cowen, is leading the charge with the first-ever emotionally intelligent AI.

Alan is the co-founder and CEO of Hume, an AI research laboratory developing models trained to identify and measure expressions of emotion from voice inflections and facial expressions. The best part? Once it understands these emotions, the AI is designed to interact with users in a way that optimizes for human well-being and leaves them with a positive emotional experience.  

Previously, Alan—who has a Ph.D. in computational psychology—helped set up Google’s research into affective computing, a field focused on developing technologies that can understand and respond to human emotions. He operates at the intersection of AI and psychology, and I sat down with him to understand the inner workings of Hume’s models. Alan walks me through the shortcomings of traditional theories of emotional science and breaks down how Hume is addressing these challenges. While talking about the potential applications of the models, we also discuss the tricky ethical concerns that come with creating an AI that can interpret human emotions.

This is a must-watch for anyone interested in the science of emotion and the future of human-AI interactions.

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Links to resources mentioned in the episode:

Alan Cowen: @AlanCowen

Hume: @hume_AI; hume.ai

If you want to demo Hume: demo.hume.ai

The nonprofit associated with Hume: Hume Initiative

Lisa Feldman Barrett’s book: How Emotions Are Made

The serial based on Paul Ekman’s theory of emotion: Lie to Me