Five Companies Leading the Way in Facial Recognition Technology
Facial recognition technology is not something new. In fact, it’s been around for several years now but it hasn’t gained a great deal of popularity in certain areas of the world until more recently. Most people are familiar with the type of facial recognition technology that exists in some businesses, where the software has to be able to recognize your face in order for you to gain access to certain areas or even to the building as a whole. At other times, this type of technology is used to identify people that have committed criminal acts. However, there are five companies that are truly changing the way that this software is utilized. You might not have heard of all of them, but you have certainly heard of some. In fact, you probably do business with some of these companies on a daily basis without even realizing that they use this type of technology. Keep reading to find out more.
ResolutionView
If you’ve ever been tempted to log your hours worked on the company computer and be somewhat less than honest, you might want to think twice before you actually do it. Aside from the obvious moral dilemma, your company just might be using software from ResolutionView to see what you’re really doing when it comes to all those hours you’re claiming that you worked. This software uses facial recognition technology to track the amount of time employees are working. It then compares that information with what you have logged for the amount of time you claim to have worked. This software has already been used as evidence in lawsuits. In other words, it’s important that you do what you should have been doing all along and only claim to be working when you actually are.
Apple
It shouldn’t surprise anybody that a company as advanced as Apple would be utilizing this type of technology. Back in early 2016 it purchased a company called Emotient. Apple hasn’t fully implemented the technology to date. Furthermore, the company is being rather secretive when it comes to announcing exactly what it plans on doing with it. However, it’s safe to say that it probably has something to do with creating a unique app that is capable of analyzing moods and emotions. That’s what the technology developed by Emotient was capable of doing, so it only stands to reason that they would do something similar. The bigger implication here is that this type of technology could one day be used to help people who are suffering from things like PTSD, depression, anxiety, and even suicidal tendencies.
Facebook also purchased a company that designed facial recognition software, face.com. It currently uses the software to tag photos automatically. That’s right, all you have to do is upload a photograph to Facebook and it uses this technology to figure out who the person is and tag it without you having to do a single thing. This is both amazing and somewhat frightening at the same time.
Amazon
Amazon has always been a leader in technological advancements and this particular area of technology is no different for them. They’re using the technology to develop an app that would allow you to pay for your items by submitting a selfie. This sounds silly at first, but they’re doing it to protect you and your credit rating. If you submit a selfie and they can recognize that it really is you making a particular purchase, you’re a lot less likely to be a victim of identity theft when someone tries to use your information to make a bogus purchase on the site.
Helping Faceless
This is one of the most interesting companies utilizing this type of technology today. Although it’s still not as advanced as it will certainly become in the future, it’s currently being used to help in the search for missing children. Computers analyze the faces of children that are seen walking down the street or in virtually any public place and then use that software to match their faces to the known photographs of missing children. The idea is that more people can be found and brought back home by using this type of technology. It also acts as a deterrent to any would-be kidnappers, because it makes it harder for them to get away with it.
