Facial Recognition Trends That Will Shape The Business Landscape

Once a concept only found in science fiction, facial recognition has since become a reality which is now becoming a viable tool for businesses to harness.

Here is a look at some of the facial recognition trends that are set to influence innovation and technology in a commercial context over the coming years.

Authentication for data security

Businesses are facing something of a data security dilemma at the moment, as tightening regulations and ever-increasing volumes of sensitive information make it more important than ever to prevent breaches. Yet with more attacks succeeding, it is necessary for firms to find new ways to provide access to data without exposing vulnerabilities.

This is where biometric authentication comes into play, of which facial recognition is a key component. While such capabilities were previously limited to specific devices and services, the availability of Javascript facial recognition through modern APIs means that any app can harness this more secure login option.

Complex algorithms can assess the unique facial features of users with incredible accuracy and determine whether or not the person trying to access a database is a legitimate user or an imposter. What makes this even more appealing for businesses is that authentication can occur rapidly, streamlining service use and improving the user experience.

Hopefully facial recognition will one day eliminate the prevalence of weak passwords and make all data more secure, for businesses and their customers alike.

Consumer behavior analysis for bricks and mortar retail

Analyzing the way that shoppers behave when they are visiting retail stores has been a difficult, labor-intensive process in the past, but facial recognition technology is making it much easier to achieve without all of the heavy lifting being laid at the feet of human specialists.

Firms like Amazon have already proven that facial recognition in combination with machine learning can be used to track customers as they move around the store, keep tabs on the products they select and leverage this data for various purposes, from automatically processing payments to gleaning useful marketing insights.

In the long run it will likely become possible for consumers to simply use their faces to pay for goods at real world stores, sidestepping checkouts and not requiring any other device or form of identification or payment method.

Surveillance for on-site safety

It is not just in a digital context that facial recognition will be able to improve security for businesses; by automating the process of surveilling physical premises it will be possible to keep customers safe from potential hazards and also protect businesses from theft, fraud and other crimes which might otherwise occur on-site.

Law enforcement agencies have been looking into the use of facial recognition as a crime-prevention measure for some time and it is easy to see how similar benefits will be useful to businesses and their customers. Differences in regional regulation regarding the use of facial recognition in surveillance will of course need to be taken into account before widespread rollout can begin.