Computers are becoming more similar to humans over time, as new technologies are developed. One such technology allows a computer to recognize a person's emotions based on the movement of muscles in their face. Some say this technology can be used in the classroom to slow down a lesson for a confused student, or make it more interesting for a bored one. However, the truth is that while this technology certainly has its merits, it may not be reliable in the classroom because it cannot accurately determine a person's emotions, understand their cause, or properly respond to them.

Although fairly accurate at times, this software that detects emotions may not be always accurate. For example, according to the article "Making Mona Lisa Smile", the software calculates that the woman in the famous painting "Mona Lisa" is "2 percent angry." This is likely untrue, and Leonardo da Vinci probably never intended this. She does not appear angry, and if anything, da Vinci simply could not recognize facial expressions well enough to accurately depict the emotions that he intended the subject of the painting to have. Additionally, the article states that there are six basic emotions the software can detect: happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, and surprise. These emotions are useful, but this also means the computer cannot detect emotions like guilt and confusion. These are very important emotions in the classroom, and the computer must be able to detect if a student cheats on a test or does not understand a concept. The software is very limited in detecting emotions, and this could lead to adverse consequenses.

Sometimes, not only are a person's emotions unclear, but the cause of a person's emotions may not be obvious given the current context, because people often live in the past. A student may appear to be confused, but only because the student does not understand a joke they heard before the lesson. The article says that the computer could recognize this confusion and modify the lesson, despite the fact that the student's confusion has nothing to do with the lesson in the first place. Also, if a student does not understand a certain part of the lesson material, the computer will not be able to detect the exact part; the student will be confused no matter what part it is. The computer will be forced to explain and clarify everything, when the student may only need a small part clarified. In a similar way, the student may still not understand the material afterwards, but the computer cannot ask the student why this is so, because it only detects the student's confusion.

While detecting emotions and their causes are important in the classroom, the most important thing is responding to them appropriately. For example, if a student is feeling sad, this will likely affect their retention of the material being taught. However, the computer likely cannot alleviate or eradicate this sadness, because it is most likely caused by an outside source. The computer may try to comfort the student, but the student will know that the computer does not actually feel any emotions and will not be comforted whatsoever. Additionally, the student may feel bored, but the computer may not be able to change this if the student feels that the material being taught is boring, because the computer has no choice but to teach this material to the student. As a result, even if the computer can detect a student's emotions, it may not be able to do much about them.

No matter how useful this emotion-reading software is, it should not be used in the classroom. It may falsely detect an emotion and change the lesson when unnecessary. It could also assume the wrong cause for an emotion, leading it to make a lesson longer or more thorough when the student understands it already. Additionally, the computer may detect emotions well, but it may not be able to fix them or change them, making the software pointless. Technology may have great benefits, but detecting emotions in the classroom is not one of them.