Emotion-Aware Chatbots: Understanding, Reacting and Adapting to Human Emotions in Text Conversations

Chatbots and virtual assistants have revolutionized human-computer interaction. As these digital entities become integral to our lives, there’s a pressing need to infuse them with emotional awareness. Emotion-aware chatbots, capable of understanding and responding to human emotions and thereby adapting their own personality, hold the promise of enhancing user experiences across various domains. However, the research in this field is scattered across disciplines, making it challenging to navigate. This survey consolidates diverse research findings, providing an overview of emotion-aware chatbots’ current state and future directions. It covers foundational concepts, the significance of emotional intelligence, various AI techniques, research methodology, and approaches to emotional awareness. This survey sets the stage for future research in this exciting field, fostering the development of more emotionally intelligent chatbot systems.