Face recognition experts perform better with AI as partner: Multidisciplinary study provides scientific underpinnings for accuracy of forensic facial identification

A study appearing today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has brought answers. In work that combines forensic science with psychology and computer vision research, a team of scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and three universities has tested the accuracy of professional face identifiers, providing at least one revelation that surprised even the researchers: Trained human beings perform best with a computer as a partner, not another person. "This is the first study to measure face identification accuracy for professional forensic facial examiners, working under circumstances that apply in real-world casework," said NIST electronic engineer P. Jonathon Phillips. "Our deeper goal was to find better ways to increase the accuracy of forensic facial comparisons." The team's effort began in response to a 2009 report by the National Research Council, "Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward," which underscored the need to measure the accuracy of forensic examiner decisions.