A new exhibition in London is exploring the hidden world of facial recognition technology.
The exhibition, called "Seeing Machines", is at the Barbican Centre and features a variety of artworks and installations that explore the ethical, social and political implications of facial recognition.
One of the most striking works is a series of photographs by artist Adam Harvey. Harvey's photographs show people's faces covered in squares of black tape. He created the photographs by using software that identifies the most distinctive features on a face, and then blacking them out.
The result is a series of images that are at once both familiar and alienating. We can still recognise the people in the photographs, but they also seem strangely anonymous. This is because facial recognition technology relies on identifying a small number of key features, such as the distance between the eyes, the shape of the nose, and the contours of the jaw. By obscuring these features, Harvey makes it difficult for us to recognise people in the same way that a facial recognition system would.
Harvey's work raises important questions about the role of facial recognition technology in our lives. How accurate is facial recognition technology? How might it be misused? What are the implications of facial recognition technology for our privacy and our freedom?
The "Seeing Machines" exhibition is a timely exploration of these important questions. It is an essential visit for anyone who wants to understand the hidden world of facial recognition technology.
Here are some of the other artworks and installations featured in the "Seeing Machines" exhibition:
* A video installation by artist Zach Blas that shows how facial recognition technology is used to track people's movements.
* A sound installation by artist Jenny Hval that explores the relationship between facial recognition technology and the female voice.
* A performance by artist Laura Grace Ford that investigates the gendered and racial biases of facial recognition technology.
* An interactive installation by artist Mario Klingemann that allows visitors to create their own facial recognition algorithms.
The "Seeing Machines" exhibition is open until February 27, 2022.
