NVIDIA
Nvidia recently released a beta version of Eye Contact. This is an AI-powered software video feature that automatically maintains eye contact by estimating and adjusting line of sight while on camera. It ships with his 1.4 version of his Broadcast app, and the company is looking for feedback on how to improve it. In some ways, the technology may be too good. This is to avoid interrupting eye contact. It can look unnatural and creepy.
To achieve that effect, Eye Contact replaces the eyes in the video stream with software-controlled simulated eyeballs that always look directly at the camera, even if they actually look away. Artificial eyes try to replicate your natural eye color and even blink.
So far, reaction to Nvidia’s new features on social media has been largely negative. “I, too, have always wanted streamers to maintain a terrifying level of constant eye contact while reading text that was clearly not visible within their webcam. I have written Twitter directional pad.
Nvidia press video of the Broadcast 1.4 update featuring Eye Contact.
Former TV newscaster Scott Baker chime in On Nvidia Eye Contact and his analysis: “After decades of being a TV newscaster, this is not the right approach. To communicate effectively, you should naturally break eye contact with the camera quite often (just like in real life). The power of eye contact in human communication has been extensively studied. Making eye contact with someone for longer than 7-10 seconds is intuitively considered creepy or uncomfortable. Whether it’s in front of the table, in front of a group, or through the camera. “
This isn’t the first time companies have used simulated eyeballs to maintain eye contact in video calls and video streams. In 2019, Apple introduced an “eye contact” feature to his FaceTime. Like Nvidia’s version of the tech, the tech also faced a generally negative reaction upon launch.
But if you like non-stop, soul-burning eye contact, you can download Nvidia Broadcast for free from the company’s website and do Eye Contact yourself. It requires Windows, an Nvidia RTX graphics card, and a strong desire to wow people watching your videos.
