AI leadership // EP09

09: Emotions Control 85% of Your Life

AI Just Made It Visible with Nicole Gibson

What if 85% of your behaviour isn't conscious? Kim Fernandez sits down with Nicole Gibson, founder and CEO of In Truth Technologies, the first company to track emotional state in real time using machine learning trained on clinical data. It's a conversation about what happens when the invisible emotional layer of decision-making suddenly becomes measurable.

Based on AI Your Business Podcast2026-02-25Guest: Nicole Gibson

The short version

Nicole Gibson has built something genuinely new: a way to make emotional state measurable in real time. That's powerful and unnerving in equal measure. The leadership takeaway isn't the technology, it's the discipline around it. Just because AI can make a hidden pattern visible doesn't make measuring it wise. Someone still has to decide what's measured, why, and for whose benefit.

Emotion drives the majority of decisions, so the data is valuable, but it's also among the most sensitive a business could ever hold.
Visibility isn't the same as permission. Consent, purpose and access controls are what make this kind of insight ethical.
The goal Nicole keeps returning to is human sovereignty, using AI to raise self-awareness without stripping people of control over their own data.

Why this matters

AI is making it possible to measure things businesses never could before, and emotional or biometric data is the sharp end of that. Get it wrong and you don't just risk a privacy breach, you break trust with the people you're meant to support.

  • Emotional and biometric data is deeply personal
  • People often don't understand what's being inferred about them
  • The same data can be used to manage people rather than support them
  • Consent and privacy expectations are frequently unclear

What to do with this insight

If you're anywhere near sensitive data, lead with purpose and consent, not capability. Decide what genuinely helps people before you decide what's technically possible.

  • Define the purpose before collecting any sensitive data
  • Put consent and access controls in place from the start
  • Set clear limits on how insights can be used
  • Keep human dignity and individual control at the centre

How AI Collab thinks about it

Nicole's work is a strong reminder of our own rule: capability is never the whole answer. We help teams decide what's worth doing with AI, then govern it properly, so powerful tools build trust instead of quietly eroding it.

Frequently asked questions

Can AI measure emotional state?
Some systems can infer emotional signals from data, but businesses should approach this area with significant care and governance.
Why is emotional data risky?
It can be personal and may be misused without consent, purpose and access controls.
What should leaders take from this?
AI can make patterns visible, but leaders still decide what's ethical, useful and respectful.

Want to turn this into a practical AI plan?

AI Collab helps established Australian businesses move from interest to implementation: strategy, team capability, governance and custom builds that fit the way the business actually works.

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