Say
Psychologist Michal Kosinski from Stanford University claims to have developed an AI capable of determining a person’s intelligence, sexual preferences, and political views based solely on their facial features. Kosinski’s work has sparked significant ethical debates among the public.
Critics question whether this development represents a modern take on phrenology—a discredited pseudoscience from the 18th and 19th centuries that falsely linked facial features to mental abilities. Kosinski, however, argues otherwise. In 2021, he created a facial recognition model that could predict a person’s political views with 72% accuracy.
Kosinski presents the AI as a tool for prediction, but other researchers are skeptical. They worry that his findings could pave the way for new forms of discrimination. Additionally, facial recognition technology is not perfect, which could lead to misidentification of target groups.
In 2017, Kosinski and his team published a study on a facial recognition model that could predict sexual orientation with 91% accuracy. This study faced backlash from organizations like the Human Rights Campaign and GLAAD, who criticized it as “dangerous and flawed.”
