Intel calls its AI that detects student emotions a teaching tool. Others call it 'morally reprehensible.'

When college instructor Angela Dancey wants to decipher whether her first-year English students comprehend what she’s trying to get across in class, their facial expressions and body language don’t reveal much.

"Even in an in-person class, students can be difficult to read. Typically, undergraduates don't communicate much through their faces, especially a lack of understanding,” said Dancey, a senior lecturer at the University of Illinois Chicago.

Dancey uses tried-and-true methods such as asking students to identify their "muddiest point" — a concept or idea she said students still struggle with — following a lecture or discussion. "I ask them to write it down, share it and we address it as a class for everyone's benefit," she said.

But Intel and Classroom Technologies, which sells virtual school software called Class, think there might be a better way. The companies have partnered to integrate an AI-based technology developed by Intel with Class, which runs on top of Zoom. Intel claims its system can detect whether students are bored, distracted or confused by assessing their facial expressions and how they’re interacting with educational content.