AI researchers from industry and academia have signed an open letter calling on Amazon to stop selling its face recognition technology to law enforcement after apparent biases were discovered.
Face palm: This January, MIT’s Deborah Raji and Joy Buolamwini revealed research suggesting that Amazon’s Rekognition product misidentifies women and people with darker skin more often than other subjects. Buolamwini has previously highlighted the racial bias in other face recognition systems (Microsoft addressed the problems with its technology identified in that work).
Change afoot: Face recognition has become a banner issue for those concerned about irresponsible uses of AI, and it seems increasingly likely that some form of regulation will arrive. But the technology is spreading rapidly, and companies are struggling to adjust their positions. Microsoft has said it will continue to work with law enforcement but has also backed legislation that would require signs showing where face recognition is being used. Google has said it won’t supply face recognition until it can come up with an appropriate policy.
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