Start-up claims it can identify criminals using facial clues
Analyzing human faces to detect character traits sounds like something out of a post-apocalyptic sci-fi film, but the Israeli start-up Faception in fact already has a contract with a homeland security agency. Faceception claims it will be able to help identify terrorists for the government, but also has said that the face-scanning technology can pick out everyone from a great poker player to a pedophile to a genius, The Washington Post reports.
"Our personality is determined by our DNA and reflected in our face. It's a kind of signal," Faception's chief executive Shai Gilboa said. The company reports that they are able to evaluate certain traits with 80 percent accuracy.
Skeptics caution that the software is a slippery slope, and only as strong as the samples it has been taught. "Just when we thought that physiognomy ended 100 years ago. Oh, well," facial perception expert and Princeton professor Alexander Todorov said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"If somebody came to me and said 'I have a company that's going to try to do this,' my answer to them would be 'nah, go do something more promising,'" computer science professor Pedro Domingos added, although he admitted, "On the other hand, machine learning brings us lots of surprises every day."
The science indeed remains uncertain. For example, a colleague of Domingos built a computer to identify with 100 percent accuracy the differences between dogs and wolves by looking at photographs — only, it turned out the computer was actually noticing snow as the common unifier in the background of the wolf photos. Artificial intelligence also risks focusing on traits that can be changed, like beards, further skewing its accuracy.
"Can I predict that you’re an ax murderer by looking at your face and therefore should I arrest you? You can see how this would be controversial," Domingos said.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
'Making a police state out of the liberal university'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
8 looming climate tipping points that imperil our planet
The Explainer New reports detail the thresholds we may be close to crossing
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Try 6 free issues of The Week Junior
Spark your child's curiosity with The Week Junior - the award-winning current affairs magazine for 8-14s.
By The Week Published
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76
Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproar
Speed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain Prize
Speed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?
Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
The Master and Margarita: the new adaptation causing consternation at the Kremlin
Why Everyone's Talking About Pro-Putin groups have called for the film's director to be charged as a terrorist
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
The new 'boom' in Latin American fiction
Why everyone's talking about Almost a quarter of International Booker Prize longlist comes from South America, a region in turmoil
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Oppenheimer' sweeps Oscars with 7 wins
speed read The film won best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy)
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Rust' armorer convicted of manslaughter
speed read The film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin during rehearsal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published