EU Face Advanced Communication for Elders Treasuring in Society

Project Information

EUFACETS

Grant agreement ID: 101100643

DOI

10.3030/101100643

Project closed

EC signature date 14 May 2023

Start date 1 June 2023

End date 31 December 2024

Funded under

• European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 150 000,00

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TORINO
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EUFACETS (EU Face Advanced Communication for Elders Treasuring in Society)

Reporting period: 2023-06-01 to 2024-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated digitalisation, but older individuals were often left behind. This underscored the problem of social networks being designed primarily for younger people, neglecting the needs of older generations and their non-digitized photographs. The ERC-funded EUFACETS project aims to address this by developing an app that creates a new family-oriented social network based on facial recognition. Through the app, extended family members can share old photos with their elders, who can then share stories about the pictures. The app will also use facial recognition and artificial intelligence to identify people in the photos and help reconstruct their narratives. The goal is to reconnect older adults with their distant relatives and their past, without any commercial objectives.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Introduction.
EUFACETS was designed to address the digital exclusion of elderly individuals by developing a face-based social network that fosters intergenerational connections. Led by Professor Massimo Leone, the project involved a multidisciplinary team from the University of Turin and the Bruno Kessler Foundation, with funding from the ERC Proof of Concept, in synergy with parallel funding from the Italian Ministry of Education and Merit.

Research and Development Methodology.
The project used an interdisciplinary approach combining semiotics, digital humanities, AI-assisted memory reconstruction, and participatory design. It began with a semiotic analysis of digital face-based communication and an evaluation of existing social networks to identify their limitations for elderly users. Qualitative fieldwork—including interviews, focus groups, and workshops—helped tailor the app to users’ needs.

The concept design and testing phase refined the app’s features through co-design sessions and usability testing. The final phase integrated AI-assisted narrative reconstruction, facial recognition for tagging family members, and a voice-recording tool to enhance storytelling within extended families.

Main Achievements.
Technically, EUFACETS developed an AI-powered storytelling assistant that enables elderly users to digitize and narrate their memories. Its user-friendly design prioritizes accessibility, while its secure, privacy-compliant framework supports intergenerational engagement. The project also introduced a methodological framework for counterfunctional design, ensuring that digital tools cater to elderly users' needs.

Scientifically, the project contributed to the study of digital aging and intergenerational memory practices, resulting in multiple academic publications and presentations.

Final Outcomes and Future Directions.
EUFACETS successfully developed and tested the SAY app, proving its potential to enhance digital communication among elderly users and their families. The validated research model offers insights for future technological and academic work. The project also produced policy recommendations for inclusive digital social networks.

EUFACETS’ innovations provide a foundation for further research and industrial applications in digital aging and social memory. Its methodologies will influence both academia and industry, ensuring elderly individuals are meaningfully integrated into digital communication landscapes.

A video summary of the project is available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tw7l6KaGZaAhF7Q2roJMbpoHdkxlQczY/view

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Overview of Results
EUFACETS developed and tested an innovative digital platform aimed at fostering intergenerational connections through a face-based social network for elderly users. The key outcome is the SAY ("Souls Are Young") app, an AI-assisted tool that digitizes photographs, allows elderly users to narrate their memories, and share them securely. The app integrates facial recognition, metadata indexing, and an AI-powered storytelling assistant, ensuring accessibility and meaningful digital interactions. The project has paved the way for further research and industrial applications, including the SENEX project, which seeks funding from the Italian Funding for Applied Research (FISA) to develop AI-powered voice-based storytelling for combating ageism.

Potential Impacts
EUFACETS has social, technological, and economic implications. It reduces digital exclusion among elderly populations, strengthens familial relationships, and promotes active storytelling by elderly individuals. Technologically, it advances human-centered AI design, refining memory-driven interaction models and facial recognition for digital identity reconstruction. Economically, the project has the potential to expand into eldercare, intergenerational digital engagement, and heritage preservation industries. The SENEX project further extends its commercial potential by leveraging AI-driven storytelling to enhance digital inclusion.

Key Needs for Further Uptake and Success
To ensure the project's long-term success, several strategic steps are necessary:

Further Research & Development: Enhancing AI-driven narrative reconstruction and personalizing the SAY app for diverse users.
Demonstration & Validation: Conducting large-scale pilot studies and collaborating with organizations supporting elderly digital inclusion.
Access to Markets & Finance: Engaging with investors and public-private partnerships to scale the platform.
Commercialization & IPR Support: Protecting intellectual property and forming strategic partnerships for ethical commercialization.
Internationalization: Expanding to global markets with multilingual support and cultural adaptations.
Regulatory & Standardization: Ensuring compliance with data privacy (GDPR), ethical AI principles, and accessibility standards.

Conclusion
EUFACETS has made significant contributions to technological innovation and social impact. The SAY app demonstrates the potential to bridge the generational digital divide and enhance intergenerational knowledge transmission through digital storytelling. The project has directly influenced further initiatives (SENEX), which seeks to commercialize these innovations on an industrial scale. By championing human-centered digital memory, EUFACETS positions itself as a pioneering project at the intersection of aging studies, semiotics, and AI-driven social interaction.

EUFACETS - Roadmap

EUFACETS - Co-Design with Elderly People

EUFACETS - Picture of Worshop with Elders

EUFACETS - Mock-Up of memory face-cards created by the app