Affective Computing for Social Good Applications: Current Advances, Gaps and Opportunities in Conversational Setting

Priyanshu Priya, Mauajama Firdaus, Gopendra Vikram Singh, Asif Ekbal

Abstract: Affective computing involves examining and advancing systems and devices capable of identifying, comprehending, processing, and emulating human emotions, sentiment, politeness and personality characteristics. This is an ever-expanding multidisciplinary domain that investigates how technology can contribute to the comprehension of human affect, how affect can influence interactions between humans and machines, how systems can be engineered to harness affect for enhanced capabilities, and how integrating affective strategies can revolutionize interactions between humans and machines. Recognizing the fact that affective computing encompasses disciplines such as computer science, psychology, and cognitive science, this tutorial aims to delve into the historical underpinnings and overarching objectives of affective computing, explore various approaches for affect detection and generation, its practical applications across diverse areas, including but not limited to social good (like persuasion, therapy and support, etc.), address ethical concerns, and outline potential future directions.