Abstract

Emotional Artificial Intelligence (EAI) represents a swiftly emerging category of technologies designed to sense, comprehend, and engage with human emotions. This unique technological landscape introduces distinct privacy risks that set it apart from other innovations. Given the substantial value of emotional data to both governmental and private sectors, there is an urgent need to recognise human emotions as a potentially private realm within the regulatory framework. To address this, I propose the adoption of the concept of ‘emotional privacy’.Nevertheless, both ‘emotions’ and ‘privacy’ are multifaceted concepts, lacking universally agreed-upon definitions. In this chapter, I aim to delve into the intricacies of emotions, seeking a deeper understanding of their nature and their connection with privacy. Additionally, I will explore various privacy theories to address the fundamental question of why emotional privacy is of paramount importance. This exploration will underscore the values that emotions encapsulate, including autonomy, intimacy, and self-hood, and how these values relate to the concept of emotional privacy.