In previous articles, I advocated for a “Tamagotchi-like” approach to air quality awareness, a gamified solution designed to capture the public’s attention. At the time, the goal was simple: engagement. If we could make checking air quality as addictive as feeding a digital pet, we could encourage better habits.

But the world of 2026 is different. Attention is no longer enough; we need connection. While gamification served its purpose, it is time to evolve. We must transition from simple reward systems to AI systems embedded with empathy-based sensor technology.

We need devices that don’t just beep when the air is bad, but devices that feel the environment with us.

The Science of Sensing: Why Air Quality?

The pivot to an empathetic AI is not a gimmick; it is rooted in the physiological reality of how air quality affects us. We often think of pollution as a respiratory issue, but the sensors in our new AI devices will tell a deeper story—one of mental health and cognitive function.

Emerging evidence has solidified the association between poor air quality—both indoors and outdoors—and poor mental health (source). When the air is toxic, we are more prone to anxiety and distress. Furthermore, we know that poor indoor air quality drastically hampers productivity (source). This affects everyone: the employee struggling to focus in a stifling office and the student trying to learn in a poorly ventilated classroom.

In this context, air quality sensors are the perfect drivers for AI “emotions.“

• When CO2 levels rise and air creates lethargy in humans, the AI should not just display a red light; it should exhibit signs of fatigue or sluggishness.
• When particulate matter (PM2.5) spikes, the AI should express distress or anxiety, mirroring the invisible assault on our own nervous systems.

By linking sensor data directly to the AI’s emotional state, we make the invisible visible—and more importantly, relatable.

The Societal Gap: The Empathy Deficit

Why is this shift necessary now? Because in 2026, we are facing a crisis of empathy.

Recent research highlights a troubling trend: society increasingly lacks the empathy required to address environmental issues effectively (source). We are seeing a rise in individualism that drives rampant consumerism, over-wasting, and ultimately, climate warming. We are disconnected from the consequences of our actions because we view the environment as a resource to be used rather than a living system we are part of.

A gamified “score” does not solve this. High scores can be ignored. But a companion in distress is harder to overlook.

The Solution: The Empathetic Bot

This is where the AI empathetic bot comes in. By utilizing advanced large language models (LLMs) integrated with real-time environmental sensors, we can create a device that communicates the severity of air quality issues in a human-centric way.

Studies suggest that with the help of an AI empathetic device, we can overcome the barriers of individualism and apathy (source).

• Relatability: Instead of saying “PM2.5 levels are at 35µg/m³,” the AI might say, “I’m finding it hard to breathe in here, and you might be feeling affected too. Can we turn on an air purifier?“
• Shared Experience: The device creates a feedback loop. You care for the AI by caring for your shared environment.

Conclusion

The era of passive monitoring is over. To fight the environmental catastrophes of our time, we need technology that bridges the emotional gap between us and the air we breathe.

By allowing sensors to drive the emotions of an AI, we move beyond the Tamagotchi. We stop playing a game and start building a relationship—one where the health of our digital companion depends entirely on the health of our physical world. In saving them, we might just save ourselves.

References

• Bhui, K., Newbury, J. B., Latham, R. M., Ucci, M., Nasir, Z. A., Turner, B., O’Leary, C., Fisher, H. L., Marczylo, E., Douglas, P., Stansfeld, S., Jackson, S. K., Tyrrel, S., Rzhetsky, A., Kinnersley, R., Kumar, P., Duchaine, C., & Coulon, F. (2023). Air quality and mental health: evidence, challenges and future directions. BJPsych Open, 9(4), e120. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2023.507
• Wyon, D. P. (2004). The effects of indoor air quality on performance and productivity. Indoor Air, 14, 92–101. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0668.2004.00278.x
• Raymond, C. M., Eriksson, M., Korpilo, S., & Carruthers-Jones, J. (2025). The effect of empathy with nature and humans on conservation behaviour. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 106, 102710. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102710
• Gu, R., Zhou, Y., Yao, S., Zhou, Y., Cui, F., Krueger, F., Hein, G., & Hu, L. (2025). The human-AI empathy loop: a path toward stronger human-AI relationships. Science Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scib.2025.10.027