Year after year face recognition becomes more present and with it the doubts – automatic facial recognition is definitely on the rise. We encounter the new artificial intelligence in both, private and public areas of life. But is our fear justified? We say no, because when it comes to face verification, such as it is available on mobile phones, you can use artificial intelligence to your advantage.
Automatic face recognition is a worldwide controversial topic. Cameras in public areas such as train stations and airports cause excitement and also anxiety. When talking about face recognition, however, it is important to distinguish between two forms: face identification and face verification. During identification, installed cameras recognize the face of a person and compare it with stored information from databases to determine the person’s identity. On the other hand, face verification is like a password, for example to unlock a smartphone, complete payment processes or check-in-procedures. In the course of a pilot project in Singapore, guests were already able to check in to certain hotels themselves using a facial recognition app and a passport scanner.
Simple, comfortable, face verification
In recent years, technology has developed and spread rapidly. Most smartphones on the market offer the function of unlocking the device by facial recognition. The function has also already replaced the entry of passwords on various websites. This method is said to be safer because biometric features are unchangeable and unique. In addition to unlocking a mobile and password verification, face recognition has a number of other advantages that private individuals, customers and companies can and should benefit from.
Face recognition as customer benefit
An experiment by H&M in New York shows how facialrecognition can have a positive impact on customers’ buying behavior by providing a comfortable shopping experience. A human-sized mirror interacts with potential customers and offers outfit inspirations by combining voice and face recognition. Customers can download the recommended outfits onto their smartphone – a mirror as a personal shopper so to speak. Face recognition at the point of sales and point of service is on the rise – financial service providers for instance also see it as an opportunity to increase security and prevent fraud as far as possible. If companies integrate their customers’ data into relevant areas such as point of sales / service, CRM and communication in the future it will result in a positive response. Face recognition is also used at events, for example during registration processes. This leads to shorter waiting times and satisfied guests. But please note, caution is required when it comes to data protection. Some customers and users feel unsafe when having their face analyzed by a camera. The lesson is clear: Technology must be communicated in an understandable and transparent way. If so, fear of face recognition can be reduced!
Both, face recognition and artificial intelligence are of enormous interest to many companies and can lead to a revolution in their marketing strategies. Contact us to communicate technology in a transparent way and make your customers feel safe.