In the field of digital identity verification, biometrics is a fundamental tool that faces new challenges in security, ethics and inclusion. Javier Barrachina, R&D Director at Facephi, shared his experience and knowledge in an online Masterclass in collaboration with Fintech Americas, thoroughly exploring the fundamental question: Is it possible to implement biometrics ethically and inclusively in the age of AI?
The importance of biometrics today
We can already find biometric technology in different industries like financial services, public administration, insurance and events, among others. Thanks to the advancement of Artificial Intelligence, biometrics technology is positioned as an essential tool for the authentication of digital identities, outdoing tedious and inefficient processes. This transformation entails pursuing ethical and inclusive practices, recognising the biases that exist in society and working on algorithms that ensure responsible behaviour.
Javier Barrachina emphasised the role of AI in identity verification in the area of Digital Onboarding. From fingerprints to facial recognition, biometrics have become an essential tool for assessing users’ financial risk profiles. This process, called “Know Your Customer” (KYC), has become critical to understanding customer identity in the financial sector.
Safe and ethical use of biometric technology
The advancement of AI has also brought with it problems for ethics and security. Javier Barrachina addressed concerns such as identity theft, phishing, data theft, document forgery, and other types of fraud. Security and ethics in the implementation of biometrics are critical to ensuring secure identification and avoiding potential risks associated with technological advancement.
The implementation of biometrics must also comply with data protection regulations, with the European Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) serving as a benchmark due to its comprehensive detail and high level of protection. The forthcoming EU AI Act, whose guidelines are already established, outlines the ethical standards companies should follow. In the masterclass, it was underlined that good practices and transparency in the use of data are essential for building trust between users and companies. Therefore, in addition to the GDPR, the use of AI in the European Union will be regulated by the EU AI Act, the first regulation on artificial intelligence. Taking into account the need to comply with both sets of regulations, Facephi’s R&D Director explored how to offer ethical onboarding, highlighting the importance of data that is truly representative of human diversity for the correct and fair functioning of the technology.
Recent advances in ethical biometric technology
At Facephi, we make sure that algorithms do not show discriminatory behaviour towards certain groups in their decision-making. We start by classifying bias into two types: known or predicted and unknown or unforeseen.
This session on how to implement ethical and inclusive biometrics in the age of AI highlighted the importance of digitisation to prevent the loss of customers and opportunities.Proper data management, in line with GDPR and EU AI guidelines, is essential for gaining user trust and improving conversion rates. At Facephi, we offer ethical, bias-free, and inclusive biometrics, crucial elements for achieving mass adoption of applications.
If you have not yet seen Javier Barrachina’s session on FATV: The Essential How To’s for Banking, click here to see how to implement ethical and inclusive biometrics in the age of AI.
