Food for thought: Ethical considerations of user trust in computer vision

TL;DR

This paper discusses the ethical importance of user trust in computer vision applications, exemplified by a study on a prototype for tracking food intake in long-term care, emphasizing user engagement and trust factors.

Contribution

It introduces an ethical framework for trust in computer vision, demonstrated through a user study on a prototype for food tracking in healthcare settings.

Findings

Perceived trust was higher with the new prototype.

User engagement enhances trust in computer vision tools.

Trust factors are crucial for decision-making support systems.

Abstract

In computer vision research, especially when novel applications of tools are developed, ethical implications around user perceptions of trust in the underlying technology should be considered and supported. Here, we describe an example of the incorporation of such considerations within the long-term care sector for tracking resident food and fluid intake. We highlight our recent user study conducted to develop a Goldilocks quality horizontal prototype designed to support trust cues in which perceived trust in our horizontal prototype was higher than the existing system in place. We discuss the importance and need for user engagement as part of ongoing computer vision-driven technology development and describe several important factors related to trust that are relevant to developing decision-making tools.