Facial analysis is a subset of artificial intelligence (AI) that uses machine learning algorithms to analyze human faces and determine attributes such as age, gender, facial expressions, level of engagement, and even disease diagnosis.
Facial analysis works by comparing the relationships between points superimposed on someone’s face. If the distances between selected points coincide with the range of a predefined, labeled attribute, the system identifies the face as having that attribute. For example, if the distance between groups of points outlining the top and bottom lips grows while the points at the corners of the mouth rise, the system may identify that facial expression as a smile.
Facial analysis algorithms can detect and classify a wide range of facial expressions such as happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, disgust, and fear. These algorithms use computer vision techniques to detect key features on the face and analyze them using deep learning algorithms to classify facial expressions.