March 2017 Summaries

Clarifai's Celebrity Model leverages cutting-edge computer vision AI to match user-uploaded images with over 10,000 celebrity faces, providing probability scores to indicate the likelihood of resemblance. This model, rooted in the same facial recognition technology as Clarifai’s Demographics model, capitalizes on the abundance of high-quality, well-documented celebrity photos, which enhances its accuracy in identifying and tagging famous faces. It gained popularity with applications like Popsugar’s Twinning app, which went viral following social media attention, including a mention from Ellen Degeneres. Developers are encouraged to use the model for creating apps that perform celebrity comparisons or tag images, with options to access the technology by signing up for a free API key.

Spectrum Navigator is an innovative GPS app designed to assist the autistic community by offering a visually-oriented navigation experience using landmarks rather than traditional text or diagram-based methods. Created by Austin Lubetkin, who is on the autism spectrum, the app leverages Google Maps, Google Street View, and Clarifai's image recognition API to identify landmarks along a calculated route, providing a more intuitive navigation solution. The app addresses the common challenge of navigating unfamiliar environments faced by those on the spectrum by using visual supports, which research has shown to be effective. The development process involved integrating multiple APIs and overcoming technical challenges, such as managing secure image transfers. The Clarifai API played a crucial role in the app's functionality by providing a user-friendly and accurate AI solution. Spectrum Navigator exemplifies how technology can be harnessed to improve accessibility and independence for individuals with autism.