Endless possibilities: how facial recognition software could change our world

Last year’s launch of the iPhone X with in-built facial recognition software shows just how cheap this type of software has now become, and how it’s set to make some really interesting changes both in business and society. Organisations and governments are eagerly testing and adopting facial recognition, and while we’re still in the early stages with many schemes no more than a gimmick, there are so many ways in which this technology can be adapted for our benefit.

The new convenience

Facial recognition software means that your face could become the new interface. Lufthansa Group is deploying automated kiosks with facial recognition technology at Los Angeles International Airport to identify passengers and allow them to board the plane within a few seconds. It’s not only a very efficient and secure process but not having to show ID speeds up boarding by 50% as well as making it very convenient for the customer.

Some mobile banking apps, such as Belgium’s KBC Bank, Singapore’s OCBC Bank and Japan’s Seven Bank, use facial recognition as a fast and frictionless form of identification. Convenience shop 7-Eleven is even opening a trial store in Tokyo that just requires your face for payment, demonstrating the evolution from the ‘one button interface’ to the ‘zero button interface’.

Many businesses are also using facial recognition software as a way of improving security. For example, the retail sector is fighting back against shoplifters using a technology called FaceFirst which can scan a shopper’s face up to 50 to 100 feet away. It’s found to reduce theft in stores by as much as 30 percent.

Similarly, the USA’s Transport Security Administration began testing facial recognition technology for international travelers at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and is planning to expand the use of biometrics technology for domestic passengers. And in a more extreme use of the software, Taylor Swift used it to monitor a concert in California last year to see if any of her stalkers were in the crowd.

A risk of manipulation

It also stands to reason that facial recognition will soon be applied for context- and emotion-driven hyper-personalisation to adapt pricing, communication and even product based on a person’s context and mood of the moment, especially if it’s enriched with past behavior data. But this is where convenience could very well turn in unwelcomed manipulation if we’re not careful.

Various studies have shown that our face holds a surprising amount of information about our health, mood, sexual preference and even social status. According to some, homosexuality, wealth, the rate of our heartbeat and certain diseases can be read from our faces, and that can, in turn, be used by companies.

On the surface, this could be beneficial: making sure people with clinical depression receive information about organisations who could help them out or digital advertisements at bus stops showing suitable products depending on a person’s gender. But there’s also a darker side: it could also mean that insurance companies could ask for more money from customers, or even refuse them when their face indicates that they have a higher percentage of developing certain diseases.

Everyday technology and our love of sharing online could also easily be manipulated by facial recognition software. Camera ‘eyes’ on items such as computers, iPads, mobile phones and smart TVs could be used by companies to monitor your heart rate and emotions data, which could, in turn, be used to adapt prices and filter what you see. Pictures or videos that we post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other apps could be harvested without our knowledge or consent to develop facial recognition software, such as how people age.

The need for moderation

This raises a lot of ethical questions about how companies will moderate themselves. Luckily, what we are seeing at the moment is businesses taking the initiative to pre-empt any government intervention. For example, Microsoft has a dedicated Principal Ethics Strategist within its AI Perceptions and Mixed Reality Group. It also feels realistic that governments will start to demand full algorithmic transparency from companies – meaning in future years an algorithmic auditor could visit you in the same way that a financial auditor does now.

These are pivotal times for facial recognition software, and it’s important that we make sure the scales tip in the direction of efficiency and convenience instead of towards the more sinister side of manipulation. Because if they do, the possibilities to improve our lives are endless.

By Prof. Steven Van Belleghem, an expert in customer focus in the digital world. He is an award-winning author, and his new book Customers The Day After Tomorrow is out now. Follow him on Twitter @StevenVBe, subscribe to his videos at www.youtube.com/stevenvanbelleghem or visit www.stevenvanbelleghem.com

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