In brief Banks in America are reportedly rolling out cameras with machine-learning software to surveil people, claiming it'll help reduce fraud, provide a better service to reduce wait times, and monitor homeless people sleeping near ATMs. Top names like JP Morgan to Wells Fargo are deploying facial-recognition technology to observe staff and customers on a wide scale, according to Reuters this week. Some banks, such as City National Bank of Florida, are testing software to identify customers and employees at its branches for security purposes. Others, such as Southern Bank, use cameras backed up by AI tech to detect any suspicious activity around ATMs and can transmit audio messages telling people hanging around the machines to move away. Chase said the software it installed is not designed to recognize people's identity, race, or gender.

The US Federal Trade Commission has warned companies against using biased artificial intelligence, saying they may break consumer protection laws. A new blog post notes that AI tools can reflect "troubling" racial and gender biases. If those tools are applied in areas like housing or employment, falsely advertised as unbiased, or trained on data that is gathered deceptively, the agency says it could intervene. "In a rush to embrace new technology, be careful not to overpromise what your algorithm can deliver," writes FTC attorney Elisa Jillson -- particularly when promising decisions that don't reflect racial or gender bias. "The result may be deception, discrimination -- and an FTC law enforcement action."