I think that deep learning algorithms that can transpose one's expressions on another face exist, but they are not widely used and definitely not in commercial applications. The only case where it was done was last year I think when the russian services presented a pretender for an Aleksey Navalni's associate in a video chat with EU members of parliament.
Turning off the the camera makes sense. Its not the same as chatting face to face but it's a decent middle ground. I guess some sort of face transfer would be a step up from audio chat but it's really the mental barrier around talking to someone that makes taking the first step hard.
These are great suggestions. I think there should be a software solution that blurs faces on the webcam feed to create a different virtual feed that can be fed into a browser based video chat tool.
Along the same lines, wearing a mask also protects identity. The only problem is that this is an additional step for someone who is already reluctant to talk to a professional.
I think that deep learning algorithms that can transpose one's expressions on another face exist, but they are not widely used and definitely not in commercial applications. The only case where it was done was last year I think when the russian services presented a pretender for an Aleksey Navalni's associate in a video chat with EU members of parliament.