The reading explains how computer vision, originally used in military and law enforcement, is now accessible to artists and designers. It discusses the challenges of making computer vision work effectively and suggests tools to help artists use it in their projects. Computer vision and human vision differ in a few ways. Human vision relies on the brain’s ability to understand complex scenes, recognize patterns, and adapt quickly, while computer vision is a set of algorithms that extracts data from digital images. Human vision is intuitive, recognizing objects in various lighting conditions and angles. Computers, however, require explicit programming to process pixels and identify patterns. While human eyes focus on the most relevant parts of a scene, computers process images as data without any true understanding of what they’re “seeing.” Human visual perception isn’t fully understood, so computer vision isn’t perfect.
In interactive art, computer vision allows artists to track movements and respond to viewers in real-time, making the experience more engaging and interactive. But because it can also be used for surveillance, it raises questions about privacy and control. This mix of being both creative and intrusive becomes a double edged sword.