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LG is launching a new kind of advertising across its smart TVs that uses artificial intelligence to detect viewers’ emotions and beliefs in real time. Through a multi-year global licensing agreement with marketing tech company Zenapse, LG will integrate emotional intelligence software into its webOS TVs—reaching over 200 million devices in 35% of U.S. households—to serve ads that match individual viewers’ feelings, values, and personality traits.
The AI platform, called ZenVision, uses LG’s automatic content recognition system to analyze what viewers watch and how they behave while watching. Combined with publicly available data about show themes and scripts, the software segments users into profiles like “emotionally engaged planners,” “goal-driven achievers,” or “social connectors,” with the goal of showing ads that resonate on a psychological level.
“Putting together Zenapse’s emotional intelligence AI capabilities and psychographic data with our proprietary technology is a win-win that enhances our ability to understand content, drive personalisation, and improve targeting,” said David Rudnick, Chief Technology Officer at LG Ad Solutions.
These ads will appear on LG’s smart TV homescreens, its free ad-supported TV channels, and elsewhere throughout its webOS system. Unlike traditional targeted ads that rely on demographics like age or location, this approach focuses on psychographics—targeting users based on their motivations, values, and emotional responses.
“Our partnership with LG Ad Solutions will enable marketers to deliver stronger customer experiences through emotionally intelligent insights backed by AI,” said Matthew Bernardini, CEO and co-founder of Zenapse.
Zenapse’s tech also tracks user engagement and continuously refines its predictions. It uses a proprietary Large Emotion Model (LEM) that helps advertisers adjust messaging in real time to better match the viewer’s mood or mindset. LG says the deal will also support future development of emotionally intelligent experiences beyond advertising.
“As viewers engage with content, ZenVision’s understanding of a consumer grows deeper, and our segmentation continually evolves to optimize predictions,” the ZenVision platform explains.
The partnership arrives as advertisers increasingly look to connected TV platforms for revenue, a space expected to grow from $24.6 billion in 2023 to more than $40 billion by 2027 in the U.S. alone. LG’s position as one of the world’s leading TV makers could influence how other platforms like Roku, Amazon Fire, or Google TV approach personalization in the coming years.
But emotionally targeted ads raise privacy concerns. By drawing on intimate behavioral and psychological patterns, critics warn this level of personalization may push the line between useful targeting and manipulative surveillance.
“Smart TVs are a growing obsession for advertisers,” the announcement noted, referencing their ability to track viewing history, search activity, and emotional reactions to content.
Even so, LG sees emotional AI as the next frontier in advertising. The company said its collaboration with Zenapse is part of a broader strategy to shape future innovations that deliver more emotionally intelligent interactions through the TV screen.
