Microsoft Is Limiting Its Facial Recognition Tools, For What Reason?
Now Microsoft is limiting access to face recognition, what is the underlying reason Microsoft is taking this action? Isn't face recognition one of the signs of technological progress? Then why is Microsoft limiting it?
Not without reason Microsoft limits access to face recognition, what Microsoft is doing is aimed at reducing the risks caused by the artificial intelligence system. Because according to Microsoft, the system could actually pose a risk to its users.
The technology company published a 27-page "Responsible AI Standard" on Tuesday (06/21/2022), the standard details the company's goals towards truly trusted AI. To align with the standard, Microsoft restricts access to face recognition in the Azure Face API, Computer Vision, and Video Indexer.
"We recognize that AI systems can be trusted when they are the right solution to the problem they were designed for," Natasha Crampton, chief responsible AI officer at Microsoft, wrote in a blog post. She added that Microsoft will stop Azure Services that infer "emotional states and identity attributes such as gender, age, smile, facial hair, hair, and makeup."
Facial recognition technology has become a growing civil rights and privacy issue. Studies have shown that the technology can misidentify, to a disproportionate degree, female subjects and subjects who have darker skin tones. This can have serious implications when used to identify criminal suspects or in surveillance situations. Other companies, including Amazon and Facebook, have also scaled back or discontinued their own facial recognition tools.
"[Our laws] have not captured the unique risks of AI or the needs of society. While we see signs that government action on AI is expanding, we also recognize our responsibility to act," Microsoft said in a blog post.
Microsoft's standards for fair and responsible AI technology don't stop at facial recognition. They also apply to the speech-to-text technology the company offers through Azure AI Custom Neural Voice. Microsoft said it took those steps to improve the software after a March 2020 study detailed high error rates in speech-to-text technology when used across African-American and Black communities.
Starting Tuesday, Microsoft said new customers will need to apply to use the Azure Face API, and returning customers are given one year to reapply to be able to use the facial recognition software again.
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