The Charlettes: An AI engineer in Ivory Coast and Ghana | Documentary

A facial recognition app designed by software engineer Charlette N’Guessan, a woman with unique identity issues.

Charlette Désiré N’Guessan comes from an intriguing family, where all the women share the same name: Charlette.

It is confusing, and also a little ironic, since she is a software engineer who has invented a facial recognition app. In The Charlettes, by filmmaker Gauz, we see how this particular Charlette has made an impact in the tech world in Ivory Coast and Ghana, winning prizes and plaudits for her artificial intelligence (AI) identity invention.

Gbaka-Brede Armand Patrick, known professionally as Gauz, is a multidisciplinary and self-proclaimed iconoclastic artist, based in Ivory Coast. His work spans writing for theatre, film and magazines as well as photography and documentary directing. His short documentaries include Quand Sankara and L’année du Piver. He won the Grand Prix Littéraire d’Afrique Noir in 2018.