Welcome to Set

Happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, and surprise. “Validity assessors” for the datasets underlying generative emotion recognition technologies are given six options to choose from. This short film presents a reenactment of the methodology underlying machine learning. A group of people evaluate clips in which actors portray emotions. Their scores directly impact the performance and reliability of the algorithmic lie detector. Partly styled as a slick promotional film, Welcome to Set features overblown language such as: “Thank you for supporting our innovative technology for a future without deception.”

This playful simulation follows the protocols and experimental conditions described in the academic literature on machine learning, and unpacks their practical implications: in 2021, Google sold AI services, including emotion recognition capabilities, to the Israeli government, while American TSA agents identify potential terrorists based on micro-expressions. In this way Cyan Bae demonstrates how emotion, distrust, and politics intertwine within security algorithms.