How Normal Am I?

An interactive documentary about your face

Spoilers ahead!‌ 

If you haven't tried it yet, please go and experience it first

www.hownormalami.eu

Let's talk about your face

Are we placing too much faith in face analysis software? How Normal Am I explores how these face recognition systems are being used in practise, and allows you to experience this for yourself in a safe and privacy friendly manner.

The algorithms

These are some of the predictions that are made just by looking at your face:


Beauty

Algrithms that judge your attractiveness are used by Tinder to match you with simmilar hotties. But what happens if the algorithm is made in China?

Age

Does your face reveal how old you are? Many of these algorithms are trained on photos and data from Hollywood celebrities, which is not always accurate.

Gender

Does your face reveal your gender? These algorithms have a very binary view of people, and errors can be painful.

Emotion

Can we figure out how someone is feeling from looking at their face? Is your face a trustworthy predictor of your ability to hold a job?

Body Mass Index

Does your face reveal your Body Mass Index? You'd be surprised what having a beard does to the prediction.‌ 

Life expectancy

Predicting how long you have left to live is big business. The insurance industry will embrace anything that offers them a 'data driven' sense of control.

The miseducation of the Body Mass Index predictor

Most algorithms used in this project were taken "off the shelf"‌, but one was created specifically for this project. Read all about the "Github safari".

The questionable nature of the BMI prediction

Privacy

To protect your privacy, all face analysis algorithms are downloaded and run in your own browser. There is no cloud-based processing of your face in any way. This project does not collect personal data.

Learn more
Who made this?

That would be me, Tijmen Schep‌. I am an artist, technology critic and privacy designer from Amsterdam.