As part of the exhibition at the Propstei St Peterzell, linecode offered a workshop for trying out two of the most common facial recognition and facial detection softwares.
A dual installation of the Viola Jones algorithm (statistical) used in the OpenCV Software and the Apple face detection (AI trained technology) allowed the visitors to experience and experiment with these tools.
A CVDazzle (Adam Harvey) instruction sheet and various arts and crafts materials offered room for experimentation and discussion of these increasingly present surveillance tools and their influence on our society.
Thank you Patricia Holder (curator) and Lucrezia Meier-Schatz (President Verein Ereignisse Propstei) for inviting us and allowing these important topics to be discussed with a broader audience.
In these conversations we noted the following observations:
- Squinting with one eye can go quite far in tripping up the facial detection software. This will have consequences for stroke victims.
- Different faces trigger differently, the shading and contours get picked up to different degrees, even in white caucasian faces.
- Having to defend ourselves against unwanted observation with disguises and precautions is a ‘war-like’ state.
Many thanks to all the participants who kindly agreed to have their images published for documentation.