Face Recognition AI

Facial recognition is arguably AI’s most visible success story to date. In just a few short years—and with very little public debate—it has crept into many corners of modern society.

Probably most of us are familiar with popular social media apps that recognize faces of our friends and family. But there are many other applications of this technology today.

Some are quite wonderful. In India a few months ago, New Delhi police were able to locate 3000 missing children in just a few days using face recognition software. In the U.S. medical researchers are using it to diagnose rare diseases in children. Many other applications are making daily life more convenient. National Australia Bank is testing ATMs that recognize your face instead of asking your for a bank card. Dulles Airport near Washington DC is experimenting with a system that uses face recongnition instead of checking passportsof passengers boarding international flights. Businesses are getting in on the act too: Uber is using face recognition to confirm drivers identities before they start a driving shift.

But there are also more controversial applications. Some retail stores are beginning to use face recongnition on customers, seeking to identify not just potential big spenders, but also suspected shoplifters. A number of law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and elsewhere are using face recognition apps to identify suspects caught on surveillance cameras during crimes. Some firms that make police body cameras are even studying the feasibility of bring real-time face recongnition capabilities to cops on the beat.. More controversial still, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is testing face recognition at several border crossings in Texas and Arizona. Finally, most controversial of all, in some countries governments are using face recognition to implement non-stop surveillance of their citizens .

These examples show that face recognition AI is a tremendously powerful technology that can be used for almost any purpose you can imagine. And that is why even some big providers of face recognition like Microsoft are calling for the U.S and other governments to step in and begin regulating this technologys use.Full disclosure: I’m not involved in setting Microsoft’s policies on face recognition, and I’m certainly not writing the code our face recognition software uses. I’m only sharing my views on these issues with you as a private citizen.