The Past, Present, and Futures of Artificial Emotional Intelligence: A Scoping Review

Artificial emotional intelligence (AEI) systems, which sense, interpret, and respond to human emotions, are increasingly utilised across various sectors, enhancing interpersonal interactions while raising ethical concerns. This scoping review examines the evolving field of AEI, covering its historical development, current applications, and emerging research opportunities. Our analysis draws from 96 articles spanning multiple disciplines, revealing significant progress from initial scepticism to growing acceptance of AEI as an interdisciplinary study. We highlight AEI’s applications in healthcare, where it improves patient care; in marketing, where it enhances customer interactions; and in the love and sex industries, where it facilitates new forms of romantic and erotic engagement. Each sector demonstrates AEI’s potential to transform practices and provoke ethical debates. The review provides a framework to understand AEI’s sociotechnical implications and identifies future research opportunities regarding trustworthy, privacy-preserving, context-aware, and culturally adaptive AEI systems, with a focus on their profound impact on human relationships.