Soon, PCs will gauge your emotions

LONDON: A group of companies is developing new kind of tools that are capable of understanding emotional content of blog posts and online comments.

These ���sentiment analysis��� tools form a wider part of computer science attempting to train computers to understand the feelings expressed in written content just like humans. And the commercial applications of such technology can already be seen in some companies whose businesses are affected by customer blogs as much as advertising campaigns, reports New Scientist.

Firms such as Seattle-based Sentimine are using the ���sentiment-aware��� software that can gauge emotional responses in text.

The application is expected to help in controlling human communications as well as digesting their output, for example, Adaptive Semantics JuLiA is a software agent that can recognise abusive comments based on a learning algorithm. ���She��� can take down or quarantine comments bending over the predetermined abuse threshold.

Similarly, another firm, Lexalytics, uses sentiment analysis to sway what people say before they realise it is too late. The sentiment-analysis tools, presently pocketed by big brand corporations, are expected to become cheaper, and perhaps even free.