A study has revealed that AI can in fact guess lots of details about our personalities that it was previously presumed could only be identified by humans.
The study by Australian and European researchers used machine learning algorithms to interpret eye reaction information including how often someone blinks, how long they blink for and how their eyes track objects to try and interpret information about their personality.
Then the authors asked its subjects to fill out personality questionnaires to see if the insights were in-line with the robot’s interpretations. It found that robots could pretty accurately identify certain traits such as neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness.
The study explained it chose eyes as the source of its data because they provide so much more insight compared to other body parts (aside from speech).
“Eye movements are also a window into our mind and a rich source of information on who we are, how we feel and what we do,” the study stated.
The researchers think that the use case for such a robot could be used in the medical industry so staff can adapt their treatment and way they interact with patients based upon how they’re likely to react to certain news or treatments. Having this information at hand could also help other service-based industries adapt their approach according to an individual’s personality.
“People are always looking for improved, personalized services. However, today’s robots and computers are not socially aware, so they cannot adapt to nonverbal cues,” Tobias Loetscher, one of the study’s authors, said. “This research provides opportunities to develop robots and computers so that they can become more natural, and better at interpreting human social signals.”
