AI Emotional Intelligence Outperforms Humans

AI Excels in Emotional Intelligence Assessments

In a groundbreaking study conducted by the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the University of Bern (UniBE), AI systems, including ChatGPT, have demonstrated superior performance in emotional intelligence (EI) tests compared to humans. This discovery highlights the potential of AI in fields that require emotional sensitivity, such as education and conflict management.

The research team evaluated six generative AI models using standard emotional intelligence assessments. These models not only outperformed average human scores but also generated new, reliable EI tests quickly, suggesting a deep understanding of emotional dynamics.

Testing AI's Emotional Capabilities

Researchers from UniBE and UNIGE’s Swiss Center for Affective Sciences (CISA) tested six Large Language Models (LLMs), including ChatGPT-4, ChatGPT-o1, Gemini 1.5 Flash, Copilot 365, Claude 3.5 Haiku, and DeepSeek V3. The tests involved emotionally charged scenarios designed to assess the AI’s ability to understand, regulate, and manage emotions.

"The AI systems scored significantly higher than humans, with 82% correct answers compared to 56% for human participants," noted Marcello Mortillaro, a researcher involved in the study. "This suggests that AI can not only process language but also suggest emotionally intelligent behavior."

For example, in one scenario where a colleague takes credit for someone else’s idea, the AI recommended discussing the situation with a superior—a response deemed emotionally intelligent by the researchers.

AI Creates New EI Tests

In the second phase of the study, ChatGPT-4 was tasked with creating new emotional intelligence tests. These tests were administered to over 400 human participants and were found to be as reliable and realistic as the original assessments, which had taken years to develop.

"The AI-generated tests proved to be clear and effective," said Katja Schlegel, another researcher on the team. "This capability of LLMs to both understand emotions and generate new scenarios reinforces their potential in emotional intelligence applications."

Marcello Mortillaro added, "These findings suggest that AI could be a valuable tool in education, coaching, or conflict management, provided it is used under expert supervision."

Implications and Future Directions

The study, published in Communications Psychology, opens new avenues for the application of AI in emotionally sensitive fields. However, experts caution that while AI shows promise, human oversight remains critical.

"AI’s ability to understand and respond to emotions is impressive, but it should complement rather than replace human emotional intelligence," concluded Mortillaro. "With proper guidance, AI could enhance emotional support systems and improve outcomes in various professional settings."