Why AI and facial recognition software is under scrutiny for racial and gender bias - IFSEC Global

In the light of the Black Lives Matter protests, AI and facial recognition vendors and users are taking notice of concerns over racial bias and privacy, reports Ron Alalouff. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has come under the spotlight recently, especially how algorithms can be biased against people of colour or women. And most recently, in the wake of the Black Lives Matter campaigns following the death of George Floyd in May, tech giants such as Amazon and IBM have suspended or withdrawn their facial recognition technologies which are based on AI algorithms. In the United States the issue of bias in AI is most explosive. Miriam Vogel, President and CEO of Equal AI, believes that while racism has its historical roots, "AI now plays a role in creating, exacerbating and hiding these disparities behind the facade of a seemingly neutral, scientific machine".