Background

Because of the steep decline in the birthrate in Japan, which is now at a record low, many colleges are experiencing a shortage of applicants and require new, creative ways to reach potential applicants. The Buddience project, by students at Nara University, is an impressive study based on Buddha statues’ facial expressions, quantified using artificial intelligence that analyzes human emotion. The project significantly increased the university’s web traffic and made a positive impact on many potential students.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

"What do they think?" For centuries, the expression of Buddhist statues has been a mystery between researchers and worshipers. To discover the answer to this age-old question, we launched the Buddience project with researchers and students of Nara University, which specializes in the study of Buddhism by using present-day technology. The project represents a novel approach into the sensory, spiritual world through the use of technologies that offer objective analysis. The goal was to fascinate even those who are not interested in Buddhism.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

To attract targets — potential students who have taken or will take the college entrance exam — we focused on the idea of analyzing the emotion of Buddhist statues. In this student project, Microsoft’s Emotion API was used to quantify the facial expression of each of 216 Buddhist statues into 8 different emotions. We created a website that allows users to experience the innovation of science as well as the profoundness of history through its design and content. The main content, “Buddha Matching,” enables users to find a statue with a facial expression that is similar to their own, using facial recognition AI called “Face API.”

List the results (20% of vote)

The project was widely discussed in the media, earning more than 260 media placements on TV, in newspapers, on the radio, and on the web. We calculate the advertising value equivalency at more than $897,000. Many users have shared the project on social media, include influencers who love Buddhism and enjoyed their experience with Buddience. Traffic to Nara University’s website increased by 110%. Plus, applications to the university increased by 20% over the previous year, despite the continuing national birthrate decline and applicant shortage. This project enabled Nara University to become more than just “a local college” but also known as a college that specializes in cultural and historical studies.