By use case · Written by Yobel Tzegai · Last checked 9 October 2026
Emotion recognition under the EU AI Act: prohibited at work and in education except for medical or safety reasons, high-risk elsewhere, disclosed always.
| Use | Outcome | Provision | Applies from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inferring employees’ or students’ emotions | Prohibited, except for medical or safety reasons | Article 5(1), first subparagraph, point (f) | 2 February 2025, under Article 113, third paragraph, point (a), as replaced |
| Emotion recognition on customers or the public | High-risk | Point 1(c) of Annex III | 2 December 2027, under Article 113, third paragraph, point (c), as replaced |
| Informing the people exposed | A deployer duty | Article 50(3) | 2 August 2026, under Article 113, second paragraph; the later date in Article 111(4) is for Article 50(2) alone |
| Sentiment read from text | Not an emotion recognition system | Article 3, point (39), which requires biometric data | Whether point (f) reaches it at work is not settled by the text |
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Not if it is intended for medical or safety reasons, the exception in Article 5(1), first subparagraph, point (f). Without that purpose, inferring a worker’s emotions at the workplace is prohibited. Whether fatigue or stress counts as an emotion is not settled by the text of the Act, and this page does not settle it.
Outside the workplace and education, it is not prohibited by point (f). It is high-risk under point 1(c) of Annex III, in so far as its use is permitted under relevant Union or national law, and Article 50(3) has the deployer inform the people exposed and process their data under the GDPR.