Interdisciplinary Research Seminar: Yuqi Chen – When AI Reads Emotions6.3.2026 {en}

Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences

Interdisciplinary Research Seminar
When AI Reads Emotions: Affective Computing Approaches to Historical Psychology

Professor Yuqi Chen
The University of Hong Kong

Date and Time: March 24, 2026 (Tue) 12:30 – 13:30 HKT [Mar 23, 2026 (Mon) 21:30 – 22:30 PDT]
Venue: Room 201, May Hall, The University of Hong Kong (Map) or via Zoom

Register now: https://hku.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1UkEHgJKSWiua_N1fPgcJA#/registration

Abstract
Across cultures and centuries, emotions have been expressed, encoded, and preserved in both texts and images. Recent advances in affective computing now offer new opportunities to study these emotional traces at scale. This talk examines how computational approaches to emotion—from early dictionary- and rule-based techniques to contemporary deep learning and large language models—have expanded the analytical possibilities for historical research. Applications in historical psychology will be discussed, demonstrating how AI-driven analysis of premodern texts and historical images can illuminate long-term patterns in collective emotions and cultural mindsets. By integrating computational methods with humanistic interpretation, the talk considers both the potential and the limitations of using artificial intelligence to reconstruct aspects of emotional life in the past.

About the Speaker
Yuqi Chen is an Assistant Professor jointly appointed at the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Arts, The University of Hong Kong. She received both her B.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Peking University and was a visiting scholar at the Institute for Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University. She is actively engaged in the fields of Quantitative History and Digital Humanities. Her research focuses on integrating AI and computational methods with humanities research, aiming to uncover new insights through innovative interdisciplinary approaches.

About the Series
This series aims to introduce a wide range of cutting-edge research in various disciplines and areas.

Source: ANN: Interdisciplinary Research Seminar: Yuqi Chen – When AI Reads Emotions, 24 March 2026, H-Net: Humanities & Social Sciences Online, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 US.