The “Medical Exception” to Emotion Detection Algorithms within the EU's Forthcoming AI Act: Regulatory Implications for Therapeutical Smart Cobotics

The forthcoming AI Act prohibits emotion detection algorithms, except for medical and safety (chiefly interpretable as therapeutical) applications. This contribution discusses the implications of this exception for manufacturers and deployers of smart collaborative robotics in healthcare as well as general production settings. It delineates the boundaries of “therapy” for smart cobotic applications under EU law, and spotlights yet-unsolved quandaries for regulatory compliance.