Microsoft is to remove emotion recognition features from its facial recognition tech.
The tech giant - which currently uses AI technology to determine emotions" displayed by users of various devices - is to eradicate the feature due to concerns of "lack of scientific consensus ". Natasha Crampton, Microsoft’s chief responsible AI officer, wrote in a blog post: "Experts inside and outside the company have highlighted the lack of scientific consensus on the definition of 'emotions,' the challenges in how inferences generalize across use cases, regions, and demographics, and the heightened privacy concerns around this type of capability. "
The Microsoft boss went on to explain that "careful analysis" of artificial intelligence systems across the board is needed in order to meet the fit For Purpose goal standards and requirements.
She added: " We also decided that we need to carefully analyze all AI systems that purport to infer people’s emotional states, whether the systems use facial analysis or any other AI technology. The Fit for Purpose Goal and Requirements in the Responsible AI Standard now help us to make system-specific validity assessments upfront, and our Sensitive Uses process helps us provide nuanced guidance for high-impact use cases, grounded in science.
These real-world challenges informed the development of Microsoft’s Responsible AI Standard and demonstrate its impact on the way we design, develop, and deploy AI systems.
Meanwhile, Sandra Wachter, an associate professor and senior research fellow at the University of Oxford explained that any use of the technology can not be justified.
She told NBC News : "Even if we were to find evidence that AI is reliably able to infer emotions, that alone would still not justify its use. Our thoughts and emotions are the most intimate parts of our personality and are protected by human rights such as the right to privacy.."
