The Face of AI: Benefits and Concerns of Facial Recognition Technology

Facial recognition technology (FRT) is a type of artificial intelligence that can identify or verify a person by analysing their facial features. It works by capturing an image, extracting important details, and comparing them with stored data to find a match. This paper explains how FRT works, its key technologies like machine learning and computer vision, and its uses in areas such as smartphones, law enforcement, airports, banking, retail, and healthcare, with a special focus on examples from India. The paper discusses the benefits of FRT, such as improving security, helping the police find suspects or missing persons faster, making travel and transactions more convenient, reducing manual ID checks, and supporting new business models. It also covers the concerns, including risks to privacy, higher error rates for certain groups, possible misuse for surveillance, and threats from hacking biometric databases. The study looks at how different countries regulate FRT, from strict rules in Europe to widespread use in Asia, and India’s recent steps under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. The conclusion highlights that while FRT can make life safer and more efficient, it should be used with strong laws and safeguards to protect people’s rights.