IBM Is Dropping All Facial Recognition Research & Development

IBM has announced that its company is no longer offering general-purpose facial recognition or analysis software, with the CEO calling for a "national dialogue" on whether and how the technology should be employed by law enforcement. Arvind Krishna, the CEO of IBM, addressed the change in a letter to U.S. Congress members on Monday, in which he explained the company's decision to exit the facial recognition business, and opposed the use of such technology for purposes of mass surveillance and racial profiling. "IBM firmly opposes and will not condone uses of any [facial recognition] technology, including facial recognition technology offered by other vendors, for mass surveillance, racial profiling, violations of basic human rights and freedoms, or any purpose which is not consistent with our values and Principles of Trust and Transparency," Krishna outlined in the letter. "We believe now is the time to begin a national dialogue on whether and how facial recognition technology should be employed by domestic law enforcement agencies." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/01/09/scanning-our-face-into-fallout-4-is-pretty-much-the-coolest-thing-of-ces-ces-2016"] This comes after several studies have indicated that some facial recognition systems demonstrate inaccuracies in the algorithms that analyse a subject's face, which can produce bias along lines of age, race, and ethnicity. IBM confirmed to The Verge that the multinational firm will also stop further development and research of this technology, as Krishna wrote his letter to encourage the use of other technologies that will bring "greater transparency and accountability to policing," such as body cameras and modern data analytics techniques. In the statement, IBM further expressed the company's desire to work with Congress in pursuit of justice and racial equity, underscoring the need to reassess policy areas and police reform in the wake of George Floyd's death. IGN stands in solidarity with the black community, and condemns racism. We encourage those reading to donate to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and support the fight for racial justice. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

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