Thinking about ideas of perception and orientation, we were inspired by the notion of a camera as a machine eye. In a world that is increasingly saturated with cameras and machines, being “seen” is not merely to be visually captured, but also can mean to be recognized and analyzed. How does a computer “see” you and how does it perceive you? With growing controversy around artificial intelligence and bias, what do these systems say about humans as the creators of these machine eyes?

As a reflection and critique on technology, computer vision, and AI bias, we implemented DeepFace, a deep learning facial recognition model for Python, for live stream video via a webcam. Using this, we created an interactive platform in which the machine eye detects and perceives you, filling your silhouette with descriptors (data) such as your race, age, and gender. Glitching between pixels, colors, and filters, we emphasize the relationship between humans and technology.