Google has developed technology that can now suggest the identity of a person even when the person is looking away and their face isn’t entirely visible.
The tech is being introduced into its Google Photos app but the wider implications of the technology are huge.
The new system can suggest the name of a person even when only the back of their head is visible in the photo.
Google Photos uses facial recognition to suggest the names of people in photos. It is not always accurate, but according to Android Authority the new feature is 80 to 85% accurate in identifying people looking away in a photo.
The system might be using other signals aside from the appearance of someone’s head, like similarities with other photos, clothes, and the meta-data.
The extent the system is using facial recognition to identify people is not clear. The photos Android Authority used in their test do not show the subject’s mouth, eyes, and nose. Previously such images would have been tagged.
Google Photos is also reportedly improved in identifying faces partially covered by masks.
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