Forensic Facial Innovation

Workflow
Initial Interface
Details interface

Inspiration

The seed for Forensic Facial Innovation was planted when our friend Wafi encountered a deeply frustrating and fear-filled situation. Post-robbery, the delay in the justice system due to procedural bottlenecks highlighted a glaring need for improvement in the initial steps of criminal identification. This experience sparked our determination to bridge the gap between a victim's immediate recall and law enforcement's ability to act.

What it does

Forensic Facial Innovation harnesses cutting-edge AI to translate oral descriptions into visual suspect sketches. This rapid rendering can be shared instantly with law enforcement, accelerating the identification process and leveraging the crucial initial hours following a crime.

How we built it

Our project intertwines the power of OpenAI's Whisper model for accurate transcriptions and GPT-3.5's natural language processing to interpret descriptors, all seamlessly integrated within a user-friendly Streamlit web app. By streamlining the flow from speech to sketch, we facilitate a more efficient communication channel between victims and police forces.

Challenges we ran into

Balancing accuracy with speed was our most significant hurdle. Ensuring the AI's interpretation remained true to the victim's words without the loss of detail required meticulous tuning. Handling the variability of human description and the subjectivity inherent in facial recognition also presented substantial challenges.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're immensely proud of creating a prototype that not only functions as intended, but also aligns so closely with our initial vision. Seeing our tool translate a user's description into a recognizable sketch that could be a pivotal piece in a police investigation is both rewarding and motivating.

What we learned

The journey taught us the intricacies of AI's potential and limitations in sensitive real-world applications. We learned that empathy in design thinking is as crucial as technical skill — understanding the user's state of mind and the context of use is paramount.

What's next for Forensic Facial Innovation

We envision Forensic Facial Innovation evolving into a standard tool in the victim's aid arsenal. Our roadmap includes refining the AI's interpretive capabilities, ensuring accessibility for non-English speakers, and establishing partnerships with law enforcement agencies to integrate our tool into their investigative workflows.