The global market for AI face recognition technology is set to reach a value of USD 8.5 billion by 2025. However, this does not come as a surprise. With technology disrupting nearly every industry sector today, AI face recognition has become a constant part of our everyday lives. With that being said, let’s take a look at the top 10 use cases of AI-powered facial recognition systems.
Retail Crime Prevention
Face identification is commonly used in the retail sector for the detection of shoplifters, robbers, organized criminals, or even for identifying customers that have a history of fraud in the retail sector. Face recognition in retail works something like this: CCTV cameras are installed in retail stores. When customers enter the facility, their facial features are scanned. This can include the shape of their face, the contour of the lips, the distance between the eyes, and so on. Once this data is collected, the images are matched against known biometric templates. During this process, an individual is verified against large criminal databases – all within mere seconds.
Law Enforcement
Face recognition applications are easily accessible through mobile phones today. This helps police officers and other law enforcers to identify and monitor known criminals that may be walking down a street, using the train, or driving on the road. Such applications allow users to identify individuals from a distance, ensuring safety and providing the opportunity for police officers to approach a suspect with caution. Suppose, an officer stops a car for a routine traffic check, but finds out the driver is a wanted murderer that may be armed. Through AI face recognition, the officer can easily verify the identity of the driver and can call for reinforcement.
Examples of AI face recognition being used by law enforcement agencies can be found in the UAE. The government recently approved an initiative for a facial recognition system to be installed in Dubai’s subway stations. The aim behind this was to protect the citizens and passengers from criminals that may be present at the subway station
Social Media Sites
With more and more criminals targeting social media sites to gain access to user data, social media sites have armed themselves with face recognition technology for user identification. This means that whenever a user logs in to their account, they are required to verify themselves through a selfie. Biometric facial recognition technology then extracts data from the image, converts it into a machine-readable format, and verifies the true identity of the user. In case an unauthorized user attempts to log in, the selfie acts as a password and denies them access.
Another example of AI-powered face verification technology being used by the social media industry is found on Facebook. The technology automatically tags friends in pictures by analyzing their facial features. A similar concept is also being used by Snapchat.
School Attendance
Apart from making schools a safer environment for students, face recognition is also being used to monitor their attendance. With distance learning becoming the new norm, facial identification streamlined the attendance process, making it more accurate and less time-consuming. China, for instance, is using this technology to ensure students do not skip lectures. Prior to a lecture, each student is verified against a biometric database and their attendance is marked through the scans that take place.
Air Travel Convenience
Numerous airlines are utilizing AI face recognition to assist travelers while boarding a flight. At airports, face recognition is employed at security checkpoints to verify the identity of travelers through their tickets and passport. As a result, long waiting hours in queues are substantially minimized. This indicates that air travel is not only becoming safer due to this technology but is also becoming more convenient.