'Emoji8' From Microsoft Uses AI To Evaluate Facial Expressions Against Emojis

AI and machine learning can do a lot of things, from providing conveniency to helping humans do complex tasks.

Microsoft as one big player in the field, wants to make AI also more fun, by launching a free app called 'Emoji8', which uses machine learning technology to guess the facial expression of users when imitating a random emoji.

The app can then give a score for how well the user recreate the emoji.

The app doesn't do anything much. It is not a tool or anything, as Microsoft created it to show only off the capabilities of AI in an accessible way.

First of all, users are served with a random emoji they have to mimic. The app will then record a video feed from the user’s computer and use FER + Emotion Recognition Model version 1.2 to evaluate the content. After doing that, the app will show a rating accuracy.

There is also an option where users can create a GIF, allowing users to share their "craziest facial expressions" to social media.

Emoji8

According to Killian McCoy, Program Manager from Microsoft:

"Emoji8’ uses ‘Windows Machine Learning (ML)’ to evaluate your facial expressions while you imitate a random selection of emojis. You can play on the app even when you don’t have an Internet connection."

"This app will give you a great end-to-end example of how you can use the Windows ML APIs to create simple yet magical experiences."

Emoji8 is described as a “fun sample UWP app” that utilizes Windows Machine Learning and presents it in a way that is easy for anyone to experience.

It is meant to show how reliable, quick and flexible machine learning is on a usual daily basis with very little requirement.

This is because the evaluation process takes place locally on the computer, which shows that the AI can indeed work without having to communicate with its servers. Since internet connection is not necessary to use the app, Microsoft is mitigating any data security concerns users may have.

Emoji8 is provided both through the Windows Store, and also on GitHub for those who are interested in tinkering with the code.

But to start playing with the source code, developers are required to have Visual Studio 2017 (Version 15.7.4 or newer) installed with the Windows 10 SDK Build 17763, McCoy said.

Published: 
19/11/2018