When Revlon Inc. wanted to know what lipstick women of different races and in different countries were wearing, the cosmetics giant didn’t need to send out a survey. It hired Miami-based Kairos Inc., which used a facial-analysis algorithm to scan Instagram photos.
Newsletter Sign-up The Future of Everything A look at how innovation and technology are transforming the way we live, work and play. For retailers and other businesses, facial analysis of camera footage promises the ability to learn more about customers in bricks-and-mortar settings, much like they have long used cookies, or small data files that track people’s internet activity, to target online ads. “The physical world is a big vacuum of data because there’s nothing there,” says Ajay Amlani, senior vice president of corporate development at French facial-recognition firm Idemia SAS.
Facial analysis has largely flown under the radar, even as facial recognition has come under fire because poorly trained systems have misidentified people of color. Places such as Boston, San Francisco, Washington state and California have curbed the use of facial recognition in law enforcement. IBM Inc., Alphabet Inc. and Microsoft Corp. have limited their facial-recognition businesses, particularly in selling to police departments.
A person of mixed race might disagree with how an algorithm classifies them, says Carly Kind, director of the Ada Lovelace Institute in London, a research group that focuses on applications of AI. “Technological systems have the power to turn things into data, into facts, and seemingly objective conclusions,” she says.
Mr. Brackeen, who is Black, championed Kairos’s race-recognition system because it could help businesses tailor their marketing to ethnic minorities. Now, Mr. Brackeen believes that race-detection software has the potential to fuel discrimination. Facewatch Ltd., a British facial-recognition firm whose software spots suspected thieves as they enter a store by screening them against a watch list, earlier this year removed an option to track the race, gender or age of shoppers, since “this information is irrelevant,” a spokesman says.
Same old idea use with new gadgets by the same old people!
Rebranding eugenics I see. Not surprised
Uhhhhhh. How about we don't?
These companies need to have the shit slapped out of them… I think companies in general need to have the shit slapped out of them.
Wow. Eugenics in AI? Disgusting.
Since blacks are 10 times more likely to attack people of other races, how do you think it should be used?
This stinks of Racism gone Hi-Tech. companies seeking this should beware and those that even created something like this. This is shameful. It doesn’t matter to God what race someone is. It shouldn’t matter to anyone else either. Remember content of one’s character.
Definitely more harm than good. Instead they should create software that makes everyone's skin color & hair color look green or blue, etc... then there may be less discrimination when choosing a potential employee.
It will do more good than harm.
This sounds like something the Nazi would have developed. Disgusting!!
Why is this necessary?
What about the biracial and multiracial?
Yes. Next question.
I dont see the usefullness but I see the danger.
My race is 'slow'. Very slow.
Another way to segregate people.DNA tests can be used for making genetically necessary decisions and ‘should’ be more secure.
It will do more harm than good
Knows the person's 'race' (supposedly, humans are only one) doesn't mean bad or good thing but what will be done with this technology?
Why is race track at all? Think about it. Why can’t we just count people?
Yes. It’s always yes.
Why is this even neccessary...I believe we look for skill set, motivation and good knowledge in a specific area. Not Race🤦🏽♀️
Sounds like a load of crap. Race is nonsense. It's based on physical features and nothing else. It's a throwback to times of ignorance. Humanity is humanity and those that differentiate based on physical features are morons.
This technology has to be used the right way, then it can be VERY useful.
Yes
Why why thou 🙃
scary
Hahaha! Funny, Not funny! Is this question rhetorical? We live in a systemic racist society in America. Can you guarantee us that it won't be used to further America's racist policies?
Oh, you know the police are going to looove this application.
jovialjoy Where this is going doesn’t sound anywhere good.
I would spoof the hell out of that software
It should be illegal
TLDR: yes
Is today April fool day or somethin.....Bizarre stereotyping.
Holy sht that's racist.
This could be a real timesaver for Ivy League colleges like Yale...
It took a while to notice that people are equal in rights and obligations, naturally they are of different mixes, so it can be good, products developed for each type improve for everyone🤷🏾♀️
Goodness Gracious! Do we need these so-called “Race Detection software” to effortlessly stereotype people?
True question?
Hitler was gagging for this.
And that’s not racist?!?
How will this work with masks?
Yes.
Um...yeah. Of course it will.
And it’s rubbish
'There's one in the spotlight, he don't look right to me, Get him up against the wall. [choir: Against the wall!] That one looks Jewish! And that one's a coon! Who let all of this riff-raff into the room? There's one smoking a joint! And another with spots!' Pink Floyd
Gee... ya think
Why canythey develop AI to just confirm a person is of the human species? Surely that’s all anyone ever needs to know about another.
Why do you need a computer to tell you your race? Who is really that clueless. Unless it’s for “entertainment “
Thought BLM corrections are meant to wipe all these biases of the hiring and jobs?
You don’t need any technology to identify the race of the looters.
Why? What's the need?
Wearing hat: yes...😊
identifies a person’s race🤔... and wonders if that is somehow discriminatory?
Big data meets wokid-19
Yeah, what could possibly go wrong? boycott
we're in the midst of a full-blown modern eugenics movement that can be traced w/ recent moves in science & evolutionary theory the time to be 'suspicious' of news like this is over, we need to be loudly rejecting it
Are you blowing me.