An interdisciplinary collaborative project, led by the University of Cologne’s Institute for the History and Ethics of Medicine, is studying the consequences of the use of technologies in relation to medicine, society, and the way we deal with human emotions. “ShiftAffect – Shifted Boundaries” was launched in 2026 and is being funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space until February 2029, with a total grant of 1,017,132 euros. Of this amount, 344,161.13 euros will go to the University of Cologne; the remaining funds will go to other project partners.

Sadness, anxiety, and pain are among the experiences that affect us most directly. Technologies designed to detect, interpret, and influence such emotional states are increasingly being used, for instance, affective computing applications that infer emotional states from speech, facial expressions, or body language; virtual reality and neuromodulation techniques; and smartphone-based applications that track moods in everyday life.

What constitutes ‘normal’ versus ‘needs treatment’ is shifting

ShiftAffect is based on the observation that such technologies can do more than simply help to alleviate anxiety, pain, or sadness. They also alter our understanding of what these conditions involve and where the line is drawn between a normal experience and a condition needing treatment. If an application presents sadness as a measurable pattern, or if a system flags anxiety as abnormal once a certain threshold is reached, it is not just the treatment that changes, but the category itself. These shifts, as demonstrated by the project’s subtitle ‘Shifted Boundaries’, are at the heart of the project.

The head of the research network, Professor Dr Dr Orsolya Friedrich from the Institute for the History and Ethics of Medicine, says: “Our aim is ultimately to provide ethically sound recommendations for the responsible development, clinical application, and regulation of technologies that detect, analyse, and modulate human emotions.” The team has already taken the first steps in this direction: researchers are reviewing the current state of research and have drawn up interview guidelines with which they aim to incorporate the perspectives of those affected, clinicians, and developers.

At the same time, they are planning an online lecture series and an expert workshop to be held in Cologne in March 2027 on the topic of ‘Emotions and Technology’, in which they hope to engage in dialogue with leading figures from the fields of philosophy, technology, and medicine, as well as with interested members of the public.

Interdisciplinary research with practical relevance

The research team consists of Professor Dr Dr Orsolya Friedrich and Dr Sebastian Schleidgen (Cologne), Professor Dr Claudia Bozzaro (Münster), Dipl.-Ing. Nora Weinberger (KIT-ITAS), Professor Dr Andreas Fallgatter (University Hospital Tübingen), and Professor Dr Kerstin Ritter (Hertie Institute for AI in Brain Health). Together, the project leaders at these sites and their teams are investigating the implications of the examined shifts for clinical practice, for the relationship between healthcare professionals and patients, and for society’s perceptions of normality, health, and illness.

ShiftAffect combines philosophical, ethical, and conceptual analyses with empirical research and participatory processes, in which developers, clinicians, those affected, and other stakeholders work together to explore possible future developments. At the end of the project, the team plans to provide ethically grounded recommendations for policy, medicine, technological development, and society alongside publications in scientific journals. The first findings are expected by the end of 2027.