[Smile.]

Anthony Vanky, A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning

Collaborators: Bryan Boyer, Director of Urban Technology Program, Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning; Meghana Tummala, Undergraduate, Architecture; Christian Wong, Undergraduate, Computer Science; Kiana Wenzell (Consultory), Director of Culture & Community, Design Core Detroit; Jerry Lynch (Consultory, TBC) Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

From Detroit’s Project Green Light to London’s CCTV policing system, communities rely on computational means of policing, identifying, and optimizing civic systems. [Smile.], is a research project that seems to make transparent artificial intelligence technologies. We ask in what ways and for whom are these algorithms (in-)accurate? Specifically, [Smile.] is an interactive installation that uses computer vision to measure human affect. In one interface, we aim to provide an engaging real-time installation that shows the computer imagery, algorithm outputs, and its aggregated statistics—how happy is this location? In addition, we seek to create “The Control Room,” an interface that reveals the statistical confidence, uncertainties, and potential biases to make them transparent to those whose affect is being measured. Taken together, this research project is a platform to explore these computational technologies and the public’s sentiments in their increasing use by making the otherwise invisible processes transparent.