Researchers Train AI To Defeat Face Blurring Technologies

Researchers fed the software this picture of actor J.K. Simmons, among others, to teach it to recognize specific faces. Since 1989, Cops has famously aired footage of suspected criminals, many with their faces blurred out to protect their privacy. Ever since then, blurred or pixelated faces have become standard fare for concealing the identity of individuals who prefer not to be recognized in the media. YouTube got in the game a few years ago, offering a facial blurring tool to help protect protestors against retribution from law enforcement or employers. But machine learning researchers at Cornell Tech and the University of Texas at Austin have developed software that makes it possible for users to recognize a person's concealed face in photographs or videos.