When I think about computer vision, I usually think of it as the way computers “see,” mostly in apps, websites, or phone features. After learning more about it, I realized that computers do not see anything the way humans do. Humans take in a whole scene at once, but computers break everything into tiny pieces like pixels, brightness, and movement. They notice small details that we might miss, but they also miss the bigger picture that humans understand naturally.
My own experience with things like Face ID and Snapchat filters shaped how I reacted to the topic. Unlocking my phone with my face feels normal and easy now, and Touch ID on a Mac makes things even faster. At the same time, I do not trust every technology that tracks people. I feel fine when big companies use it, because I honestly have the mentality of why would they want to use my data out of the billions of people using their platforms. However if it is a random app or something that could be hacked, then I wouldn’t want them to easily track me. That made me understand why computer vision based artworks can feel both creative and unsettling at the same time.
I think surveillance in public spaces is important for safety, but using it in art is kind off weird. It can be meaningful, but it can also feel invasive depending on how people are being watched. The idea of a machine constantly observing people makes me a little uncomfortable and weirded out honestly, but also curious about how far this technology will go. I do not think computers will ever fully understand human behavior the way humans do. Emotions, intentions, and intuition are probably never going to be experienced by computers.
If I were to design an artwork with computer vision, I would focus on tracking gestures or movement instead of faces. That feels less personal and more playful and fun to experience. I also think artists should have limits when using real people as data, especially when people do not know they are being recorded. Overall, learning about computer vision made me think more about how much we rely on it and how it affects both everyday life and creative work.