The relevance and accuracy of an AI algorithm-based descriptor on 23 facial attributes in a diverse female US population

Background: The response of AI in situations that mimic real life scenarios is poorly explored in populations of high diversity.

Objective: To assess the accuracy and validate the relevance of an automated, algorithm-based analysis geared toward facial attributes devoted to the adornment routines of women.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, two diversified groups presenting similar distributions such as age, ancestry, skin phototype, and geographical location was created from the selfie images of 1041 female in a US population. 521 images were analyzed as part of a new training dataset aimed to improve the original algorithm and 520 were aimed to validate the performance of the AI. From a total 23 facial attributes (16 continuous and 7 categorical), all images were analyzed by 24 make-up experts and by the automated descriptor tool.

Results: For all facial attributes, the new and the original automated tool both surpassed the grading of the experts on a diverse population of women. For the 16 continuous attributes, the gradings obtained by the new system strongly correlated with the assessment made by make-up experts (r ≥ 0.80; p < 0.0001) and supported by a low error rate. For the seven categorical attributes, the overall accuracy of the AI-facial descriptor was improved via enrichment of the training dataset. However, some weaker performance in spotting specific facial attributes were noted.

Conclusion: In conclusion, the AI-automatic facial descriptor tool was deemed accurate for analysis of facial attributes for diverse women although some skin complexion, eye color, and hair features required some further finetuning.