Facebook's DensePose Tech Raises Concerns About Potential Misuse

In early 2018, Facebook's AI researchers unveiled a deep learning system that can transform 2D photo and video images of people into 3D mesh models of those human bodies in motion. Last month, Facebook publicly shared the code for its "DensePose" technology, which could be used by Hollywood filmmakers and augmented reality game developers--but maybe also by those seeking to build a surveillance state. DensePose goes beyond basic object recognition. Besides detecting humans in pictures, it can also make 3D models of their bodies by estimating the positions of their torsos and limbs. Those models can then enable the technology to create real-time 3D recreations of human movement in 2D videos.