Listen to the article: Auto-generated audio from an automated system

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Meta has filed a patent application for an artificial intelligence device that listens to a person's laughs and sighs to track their mood.

The patent application, filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office and published on July 2, describes an AI-powered 'device' that can monitor the user and their location to 'measure the user's emotional state' at any time.

The patent text states: 'Personal emotional metrics are presented to the user to provide insights about themselves,' according to a report by the British newspaper The Independent, reviewed by Al Arabiya Business.

It added: 'A machine learning model of emotional state can interpret verbal and non-verbal cues to determine emotional indicators.'

The patent provides an example of a user using 'negative language during a video call from home,' where an AI-powered device captures and analyzes these signals.

This is then used to provide insights about the person's emotional state over a specific period, such as telling them: 'You expressed more gratitude this month.'

Patentize, a site specializing in analyzing patents of major companies and the first to report the filing, described Meta's patent as 'one of the most consequential patents Meta has filed in recent times' due to its continuous collection of audio data linked to location, activity, and app usage.

The site wrote that framing the device within fitness wearables 'is little more than a thin cover for a system that is essentially continuous emotional state monitoring. This deserves much greater public attention than most patent applications receive.'

Meta's patent application has also raised concerns among privacy advocates, who fear that the data tracking mechanisms of the company that owns Facebook and Instagram could be used for hidden purposes.

With billions of users worldwide, the US tech company already monitors users' online behavior to build detailed profiles of their interests and habits, aiming to show more targeted ads, which account for more than 97% of the company's revenue.

Josh Golin, executive director of the user rights advocacy group Fairplay, said in a statement published by the New York Post: 'This alarming patent appears to be part of Meta’s broader plans to monitor every aspect of our lives in order to profit from ads targeting users' emotional vulnerabilities.'

He added: 'This is a particular concern for the most affected youth, and underscores the urgent need for privacy legislation that limits data collection and prohibits targeted advertising to minors.'

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