IBM has abandoned its current iterations of facial recognition and analysis software and will stop offering its facial recognition solutions on the market.
The software has been used by a variety of companies, with some products available on the market and in development being
based on IBM technology.
IBM came to the decision to abandon the technology citing concerns of racial bias “mass surveillance and police profiling”
in the wake of the death of US man George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, USA.
In a statement, IBM
said: “IBM no longer offers general purpose IBM facial recognition or analysis software. IBM firmly opposes and will not condone uses of
any technology, including facial recognition technology offered by other vendors, for mass surveillance, racial profiling, violations of basic human rights and freedoms, or
any purpose which is not consistent with our values and Principles of Trust and Transparency. We believe now is the time to
begin a national dialogue on whether and how facial recognition technology should be employed by domestic law enforcement agencies.
“Artificial Intelligence is
a powerful tool that can help law enforcement keep citizens safe. But vendors and users of Al systems have a shared responsibility to
ensure that Al is tested for bias, particularity when used in law enforcement, and that such bias testing is audited and reported.”