The Swiss Digital Initiative (SDI), in collaboration with the Head School of Art in Geneva, has developed a tool that aims to raise awareness of how artificial intelligence is already intervening in everyday life. The interactive art experience creates a user profile from an image of a face and suggests targeted advertising based on it.

It is high time to become aware of the influence of artificial intelligence (AI), even if its impact is currently still in its infancy, SDI said. An insight into this is provided by the newly developed and freely accessible tool called "ADface."

Raising awareness of ethical implications

This interactive art experience accesses the user's webcam with their consent and snaps a picture of their face. Using an AI algorithm, the photo is used to create a profile that includes age, emotional state, and social status. The user is then shown how the profile serves as the basis for targeted advertising.

"We are still at a very early stage of what artificial intelligence can and will do in the future," said project collaborator Alexia Mathieu of the Geneva School of Art. "It's of absolute importance that we become aware of it now so that we can use it in the future for the benefit of all, while being aware of its ethical implications."