Collection Overview

Scientific Reports has launched a Guest-Edited Collection on Artificial Emotional Intelligence

Artificial Emotional Intelligence or affective computing refers to the ability of AI systems to determine an individual’s emotional state, primarily through their facial expressions and voice characteristics, and react to it. To date, Artificial Emotional Intelligence has been used extensively in customer service, gaming technology, and healthcare. Despite its potential for improving human-machine interaction, there are some ethical concerns associated with it, including personal data privacy, implicit biases, as well as accountability issues.

This will be a Collection of original research papers and will be open for submissions from all authors – on the condition that the manuscripts fall within the scope of the Collection and of Scientific Reports more generally. We are welcoming submissions until 24th January 2026.

Why is this Collection important? 

"Artificial Emotional Intelligence (AEI) constitutes a pivotal area of inquiry at the intersection of affective computing, cognitive neuroscience, and psychology. As digital technologies increasingly mediate human experience, the integration of emotional sensitivity into artificial systems emerges as both a scientific challenge and an ethical imperative. This Collection seeks to advance our understanding of how machines can recognize, elicit, and simulate human emotions, with a focus ranging from functional applications to aesthetic dimensions. Its interdisciplinary scope provides a platform to shape future directions in emotionally intelligent systems and to foster responsible, human-centered innovation. We invite researchers to contribute to this timely effort to outline and redefine human–AI interaction through the lens of emotion and affective science." - Alice Chirico

Why submit to a Collection? 

Collections like this one help promote high-quality science. They are led by Guest Editors, who are experts in their fields, and In-House Editors and are supported by a dedicated team of Commissioning Editors and Managing Editors at Springer Nature. Collection manuscripts typically see higher citations, downloads, and Altmetric scores, and provide a one-stop-shop on a cutting-edge topic of interest. 

Who is involved? 

Guest Editors:

• Alice Chirico: Catholic University of the Sacred heart of Milan, Italy
• Enzo Pasquale Scilingo: University of Pisa, Italy

Internal Team:

• In-House Editor: Petroula Mousikou, Scientific Reports, Germany
• Commissioning Editor: Stuart Weir, Fully OA Brands, Springer Nature, UK
• Managing Editor: Rebecca Chan, Fully OA Brands, Springer Nature, UK

How can I submit my paper? 

Visit the Collection page  to find out more about this Collection and how to submit your article.