A Look at the Features and Benefits of Facial Recognition
Written exclusively for https://touchbyte.co.uk/ by Anna Nicole Woods.
Biometrics used to be a dream of the past, but it's now firmly a tool of the present. Continuous innovations since the 1960s, from Bledsoe’s RAND Tablet technology in the 1970s to using linear algebra in the 1980s and the FERET Programme in the 1990s, have led to the development of access control that allows users to unlock a space or feature solely using biometrics.
Our previous article on Face Recognition Access Control explains how technology today can be used to access even doors, gates, turnstiles, or high-security areas. This is currently used in a variety of different sectors in order to upgrade security, data, and privacy, more so in recent times with the growing need for contactless procedures.
Despite the advantages, many may still feel distrustful of new technology like facial recognition, but that's to be expected. This flawless integration of facial recognition innovation in society was considered almost impossible mere decades ago. Additionally, pioneers in the field like Woody Bledsoe would be held back by the lack of technology to progress effectively.
Beyond focusing on the geniuses behind development, Ashlee Vance’s book Elon Musk stresses the concept of innovation in a highly competitive and rapidly changing industry. Everything begins with a single vision, but consistent implementation and support from all stakeholders is what pushes innovations into the mainstream.
Facial recognition is one of these decades-long innovations with far-reaching effects on society. Among these effects, the below top three benefits of facial recognition technology (FRT) stand out:
FRT improves security
Facial recognition allows two main features: to detect a person through various surveillance applications, such as CCTV cameras, or to recognise a person in order to grant access. These features are particularly helpful in industries such as banking, smart homes, internet search engines, and surveillance, which Forbes identifies as prone to attacks. Machine learning algorithms, face detection, face recognition, and face tracking work hand-in-hand to effectively deter security breaches.
As societal innovations develop, however, it is just as important to continuously upgrade your systems. This allows you to determine effective solutions against common attacks, and can range from focusing on the AI infrastructure, AI model security, or AI privacy assessment to ensure the maximum strength of your system's defence at all times.
While nothing is ever really 100% secure, we can get as close as possible with FRT.
FRT improves customer experience
With the increase of foot traffic online, more businesses are looking for ways to match the demand for commerce on different platforms. A study showed that 86% of consumers have left a store due to long lines in the last 12 months, but with facial recognition, “face pay” technologies allow businesses to mitigate this process.
Similar principles go into the banking industry. The CEO of Innovatrics explains how biometrics in banks are in place to allow customers to self-serve independently. This streamlines the banking process to be frictionless, seamless, and on the go. New-to-bank customers can now self-enrol through their mobile device in just two minutes, as opposed to the average time of 45 minutes to open an account in-branch in a traditional bank.
FRT improves workplace discipline
Industrial floors worldwide continue to be plagued by time fraud, but with facial recognition technology, face-scanning devices speed up the check-in for work while ensuring honest hours. This automatization of employee attendance can even be integrated with payroll systems in order to enforce discipline in the workplace and cut administrative costs by 5-10%.
This has already been shown to increase employee productivity by 10% as well. Rob Shavell cautions that workplace privacy, however, is an important factor to secure while simultaneously investing in facial recognition. In an age where data is an asset, over 37% of employees would consider resigning if their employer mishandled their personal information.
Facial recognition technology is ultimately a tool that, in the right hands, could be used ethically to forward our society for the better. However, it's on all major stakeholders to ensure protocols and legislations — such as increasing security for FRT — that prevent misuse of biometric data. Only then will the journey towards innovation be productive for all.
