Rana el Kaliouby is an Egyptian-American computer scientist and entrepreneur in the field of expression recognition research and technology development, which is a subset of facial recognition designed to identify the emotions expressed by the face.

Rana joins me on Tech Talks Daily to speak about her book, Girl Decoded. The captivating memoir provides an intimate view of her personal transformation as she follows her calling–to humanize our technology and how we connect with one another.

A number of years ago, el Kaliouby had an "a-ha" moment: what if our technology could understand us in the same way that we understand one another? That set her on a path to pioneer the new technology category of Emotion AI. Girl Decoded chronicles Rana el Kaliouby's journey from a "nice Egyptian girl" to a woman carving her own path as she revolutionizes technology. But decoding herself–learning to express and act on her own emotions–would prove to be the biggest challenge of all.

We also discuss Rana's work with Affectiva to humanize technology. An MIT Media Lab spin-off, Affectiva created and defined the technology category of artificial emotional intelligence or Emotion AI. Having evolved beyond emotion detection, Affectiva is now pioneering Human Perception AI: software that can detect not only human emotions and cognitive states, but also behaviors, activities, interactions, and objects people use. Affectiva's in-cabin sensing AI enables leading automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, ridesharing providers, and fleet management companies to build next-generation mobility that adapts to complex human states. Affectiva's technology is also used by 25 percent of the Fortune Global 500 companies to test consumer engagement with ads, videos, and TV programming. Rana also touches on the potential for Affectiva's technology to help us all stay connected during this time of social distancing.