Newsletter
But let’s see where it comes from.
AI can be a force for good. Listen to me. We saw evidence at Google I/O 2023.
While many of us spend time worrying about how AI chatbots like ChatGPT might take our jobs or start World War II, AI-based solutions are solving real-world problems, and sometimes , they even help people recover (and more) from tragedy.
After the Google I/O 2023 keynote wrapped us up with impressive AI-powered software and product updates and a collection of new hardware including the exciting Google Pixel Fold, Pixel Tablet and Pixel 7a, Google AI Advocacy Lead , author and some-time AI artist Laurence Moroney (opens in a new tab) took the stage during the developer presentation and introduced a story (opens in a new tab) this probably led to more than a few “I’m not crying, are you cry” reactions in the audience.
From the ashes
Two years ago, quadriplegic gamer Lance Carr lost everything in a fire, which started during his live broadcast. Carr, who has muscular dystrophy, lost not only his Colorado home, but all the support equipment he used to play live video games on Twitch. Worse, the custom gear was outdated and almost irreplaceable.
For Carr, who has no control of any part of his body below his shoulders, controlling his computer to play and play games would be impossible.
Google’s Project GameFace, however, has changed all that. Instead of trying to buy and adapt assistive gaming equipment, Google and Carr settled on a new idea: use your face to control your computer and games.
According to Moroney, Project GameFace uses an off-the-shelf webcam and Google’s MediaPipe, a system that stitches together multiple AI ML models (he didn’t specify which ones) to build a 468-point live mesh on any face. These points are converted into telemetry for mouse clicks and movements. MediaPipe has also previously been used to create virtual avatars.
All of this is tied to an interface where you can map expressions and head movements to computer input, meaning that rather than being one-size-fits-all, Project GameFace can be customized to how you want to control the action. And the system is so accurate that Carr can use it to write his name in cursive.
As Carr points out, he now controls his computer by making funny faces. In a video about the project, Carr explained that due to muscular dystrophy, he is now weaker than when he was six months old. “Muscular dystrophy needs, he added. The first time I won something in a physical sense.”
Google has no plans to directly produce Project GameFace, but has open-sourced all the code and posted it on GitHub. (opens in a new tab). The project page warns that the “project is not intended for human life-critical decisions“, although what’s more important than games? Ask our friends at TRG and they’ll say, “Nothing!”
The other good news is that while Project GameFace constantly tracks facial movements, it doesn’t store images or any data for facial recognition.
So the next time someone tells you that the obvious end game of all AI is global destruction, pause for a moment and think about or even mention Carr. Where there is utility and purpose, there is possibility. Indeed, AI has both potential for good and evil.
Maybe we just need to point it in the right direction. May be.
Source link
From controlling our computer with a keyboard, to using more natural methods such as our voice and now, even our face. This is the story of how AI is taking over artificial control of devices from game consoles to corporate networks and beyond. GameFace has enabled us to control computers with our faces, and this is just the beginning of a whole new world of human-computer interaction.
The GameFace interface works by recognizing various facial movements and expressions of the user and translates those movements into commands for the computer. For instance, if you’d like to open a new file, you can use your eyes to select the command. It’s interesting how technology is evolving and allowing us to control complex systems with a single gesture.
Moreover, the user experience of this technology is quite different to traditional methods like keyboard and mouse control. With GameFace, users can engage in much more natural and intuitive interactions with their devices. This is something that Ikaroa, a full stack tech company, places high importance on, as we strive to make the interaction and experience of technology as seamless as possible.
In conclusion, GameFace has made a big impact in the Artificial Intelligence industry, and has shown us that the possibilities of human-computer interaction are receiving a significant boost with the help of AI. The use cases for this technology stretch far and wide, and as technology continues to develop, the implications and applications of this type of interface are vast.
