Why facial recognition algorithms can’t be perfectly fair (The Conversation)
20 July 2020![low poly female head wireframe – source : GDJ / openclipart](https://www-test.telecom-paris.fr/wp-content-EvDsK19/uploads/2018/12/low-poly-female-head-wireframe-gdj-openclipart.jpg)
To err is human… and algorithmic
Like any prediction algorithm, facial recognition algorithms make probabilistic predictions based on incomplete data – a blurry photo, for example. Such predictions are never completely error-free, nor can they be. Since errors always exist, the question is what is an acceptable level of errors, what kind of errors should be prioritised, and whether you need a strictly identical error rate for every population group.