Can we use AI to monitor employees' emotions or mood?
In general, no. Article 5 of the AI Act, Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, prohibits placing on the market, putting into service or using AI systems to infer the emotions of a natural person in the workplace and in education institutions, except where the system is intended for medical or safety reasons. The ban has applied since 2 February 2025. It covers tools that read emotions or intentions from faces, voices, typing or other biometric signals, for example in call-centre software, video-meeting add-ons or productivity monitoring, and fines for prohibited practices are the highest in the Act. Employment and data protection law add their own limits on monitoring staff. Before buying any tool that claims to measure engagement, stress or sentiment of employees, ask the vendor in writing which data it uses and how it fits Article 5, and involve your legal adviser and data protection officer. NetSenX does not do this: it monitors devices and network connections, never people, and makes no assessment of individuals.