SUGANO Yusuke Associate Professor - Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo

In recent years, gaze estimation technology, which interprets the direction of a person’s gaze from camera images, has made significant progress and is anticipated to be applied in various fields, such as autonomous driving, robotics, and medical applications. However, a significant challenge has been the bias in the training data necessary for AI to learn gaze estimation. For instance, many existing research datasets are collected in university laboratories, predominantly featuring student participants, resulting in a significant age bias.

The AICOM project aims to democratize AI research by transforming the collection of training data for gaze estimation into an enjoyable game. Participants play cooperatively, using their eye gaze to communicate words while their face images are captured. The project received positive feedback during a demonstration experiment, engaging diverse people and fostering discussions about gaze estimation AI and AI applications. The project aims to extend its approach to other AI research areas, making AI research accessible to a broader audience and incorporating diverse perspectives.