The Rise of Emotional Surveillance
AI-powered emotion monitoring technology is increasingly being used in workplaces to assess employee behavior, productivity, and sentiment. Tools like MorphCast and Aware analyze facial expressions, voice tone, and text to gauge emotions during meetings, calls, or messaging. While currently more common in customer service and low-wage jobs, these systems are expanding into white-collar environments despite growing ethical and regulatory concerns.
- ▪MorphCast uses AI to analyze facial expressions and claimed the author was 'amused,' 'determined,' and 'interested' during a meeting.
- ▪Companies like MetLife, McDonald’s, and Burger King are already using emotion AI to monitor employees or customers.
- ▪Emotion AI tools can analyze video, audio, and text to assess worker sentiment, attention, and personality traits.
- ▪The European Union banned workplace emotion AI except for medical or safety purposes.
- ▪Tools like Aware and Microsoft Azure allow employers to monitor employee chat messages for sentiment and toxicity.
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CultureWhat if Your Boss Monitored Your Emotions?AI has supercharged worker surveillance—not just for productivity but for agreeability.By Ellen CushingIllustration by Matteo Giuseppe Pani / The AtlanticMay 3, 2026, 8 AM ET ShareSave The good news, for me at least, is that the computer thinks I have a nice personality. According to an app called MorphCast, I was, in a recent meeting with my boss, generally “amused,” “determined,” and “interested,” though—sue me—occasionally “impatient.” MorphCast, you see, purports to glean insights into the depths and vagaries of human emotion using AI. It found that my affect was “positive” and “active,” as opposed to negative and/or passive. My attention was reasonably high.
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