Honor’s AI Innovations: Protecting Eyes, Detecting Deepfakes, and Redefining Human-AI Synergy

Honor unveils AI-powered eye protection technology: Honor has introduced its AI Defocus Eye Protection technology at MWC Shanghai, leveraging on-device AI models to alleviate common eye issues associated with prolonged screen use, such as myopia (nearsightedness):

• The technology works by using AI to simulate defocus glasses on the phone screen, originally designed to correct nearsightedness in children but also shown to enhance focus, prevent eye fatigue, and improve comfort for adults.
• According to Honor, their technique has already demonstrated a reduction in users’ transient myopia by an average of 13 degrees after 25 minutes of reading, with some users experiencing a maximum reduction of 75 degrees.

Combating deepfakes with on-device AI: Honor also released a new deep fake detection technology that can warn users if AI filters are being used on video calls or in messages:

• The approach examines frame-by-frame information such as eye contact, lighting, image clarity, and video playback to identify flaws imperceptible to the human eye.
• The model was trained on a large dataset of videos and images linked to online scams, enabling it to make predictions within three seconds of a call starting and issue immediate risk warnings to users.

A shift towards human-AI synergy: These new technologies form part of Honor’s approach to creating a human-AI synergy through on-device capabilities:

• Honor CEO George Zhao emphasized the importance of on-device AI, stating, “AI is revolutionizing our lives and driving the smartphone industry forward, but much of the industry has focused on cloud-based AI, which is just a part of the puzzle. On-device AI, which is run on smartphones that understand us better than any other devices, is uniquely positioned to deliver services that are tailored to us and our preferences.”
• The company’s focus on on-device AI aims to provide personalized services that prioritize user privacy and security.

Broader implications: Honor’s AI-driven eye protection and deepfake detection technologies showcase the potential for on-device AI to address health concerns and combat online threats. As smartphones become increasingly integral to our daily lives, the development of such features could set a new standard for the industry. However, it remains to be seen how effective these solutions will be in real-world scenarios and whether other manufacturers will follow suit in prioritizing on-device AI capabilities.