He Was Jailed Because an Algorithm Misidentified His Face. Now His Photograph Hangs in the Smithsonian.

The second floor of the gallery now features Soares’s award-winning photograph, Misidentified by Artificial Intelligence: Alonzo and Carronne (2023). He said it’s a warning to the dangers of surveillance, while also a nod to love and intimacy of relationships. The algorithm created a composite that resembled Sawyer’s face, making the Maryland resident—who was in a different county at the time of the assault—a primary person of interest. Soares focused the portrait on Sawyer’s face and the hands of his wife, Caronne, which cradle it. “It’s probably every person of color’s nightmare.” Soares invited Sawyer and his family to the public opening last weekend.