Image Recognition
The US Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has reportedly filed a new proposal with the US Federal Trade Commission to gain approval for the use of facial recognition technology to age gate entertainment content. The filing, surfaced by GamesIndustry.biz, claims that implementing facial recognition when purchasing entertainment – particularly, video games – will provide a way to better protect young kids from content they shouldn’t see. The ‘Privacy-Protective Facial Age Estimation’, which has been developed in collaboration with identity tech firm Yoti and software company SuperAwesome, would reportedly ask players to verify their age before purchasing certain content. The verification process would include the user taking a photograph of themselves, before the AI-powered system spits out an age estimation, based on gathered data. Per a recent study cited by the website, modern facial recognition technology still has a number of biases built in, particularly towards Asian and African American people who are reportedly ‘up to 100 times more likely to be incorrectly identified’ by facial recognition technology.