Dive Brief:
- Facebook has acquired facial imaging company FacioMetrics, according to a FacioMetrics website announcement.
- The company’s facial image analysis capabilities include augmented/virtual reality, animation, audience reaction measurement and others, all of which fit into areas of Facebook interest.
- FacioMetrics was founded as a Carnegie Mellon University-based project.
Dive Insight:
Facebook already boasts world-class AI-driven facial recognition capabilities reportedly as high as 98% accurate for tagging photos posted to the platform, and it also has a high interest in improving virtual reality experiences to support its previous acquisition of Oculus Rift. The FacioMetrics deal seemingly fits directly into an area where Facebook is already active and clearly looking to continue improvement.
FacioMetrics claim to fame is an app called IntraFace that detects emotions based on facial expressions. A TechCrunch article on the deal pointed out that part of Facebook’s AI plans include gesture-based controls around facial recognition. The article envisioned a possible use combining IntraFace with Facebook’s AI to recognize a users' emotion via their facial expression and then asking them if they would like to add an emoji to a post reflecting that emotion.
It’s unkown what Facebook’s plans are for FacioMetrics’ tech, but facial recognition and artificial intelligence are both clearly high on the social media giant’s radar screen. Other companies like Apple and Google are also chasing facial recognition solutions as they look to build next-generation digital experiences, although Facebook remains the leader here. A number of lawsuits over the use of facial recognition and how it relates to consumer privacy could dampen enthusiasm for the technology depending on how they turn out.
