“Don’t Worry, Be Happy”: Resisting an AI Emotion Recognition System With a Smile

Abstract

Don’t Worry, Be Happy is an art performance which demonstrates the problematic nature of AI recognition algorithms when used as instruments of the law. The performance associates the use of AI recognition algorithms with the use of the notorious electric chair. Both technological tools were integrated into juridical systems before being fully understood and both mediate a direct contact between the body and the law. While AI based recognition and classification of faces can be used for the common good, they can also be dangerous when used to control and criminalize people. The artwork emphasizes the entanglement between the body and the machine and illustrates how a performative engagement facilitates a sense of agency when we are confronted with recognition algorithms.