Is artificial intelligence (AI) capable of suggesting appropriate behaviour in emotionally charged situations? A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the University of Bern (UniBE) put six generative AIs -- including ChatGPT -- to the test using emotional intelligence (EI) assessments typically designed for humans. The outcome: these AIs outperformed average human performance and were even able to generate new tests in record time. These findings open up new possibilities for AI in education, coaching, and conflict management. The study is published in Communications Psychology.
Large Language Models (LLMs) are artificial intelligence (AI) systems capable of processing, interpreting and generating human language. The ChatGPT generative AI, for example, is based on this type of model. LLMs can answer questions and solve complex problems. But can they also suggest emotionally intelligent behaviour?
These results pave the way for AI to be used in contexts thought to be reserved for humans.
Emotionally charged scenarios
To find out, a team from UniBE, Institute of Psychology, and UNIGE's Swiss Center for Affective Sciences (CISA) subjected six LLMs (ChatGPT-4, ChatGPT-o1, Gemini 1.5 Flash, Copilot 365, Claude 3.5 Haiku and DeepSeek V3) to emotional intelligence tests. ''We chose five tests commonly used in both research and corporate settings. They involved emotionally charged scenarios designed to assess the ability to understand, regulate, and manage emotions,'' says Katja Schlegel, lecturer and principal investigator at the Division of Personality Psychology, Differential Psychology, and Assessment at the Institute of Psychology at UniBE, and lead author of the study.
For example: One of Michael's colleagues has stolen his idea and is being unfairly congratulated. What would be Michael's most effective reaction?
a) Argue with the colleague involved
b) Talk to his superior about the situation
c) Silently resent his colleague
d) Steal an idea back
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