Brad Pitt may be many things, but he is NOT a Super Recogniser. In this article, the Hollywood actor explains the impact that suffering from face blindness has had on his life. Perhaps he needs a Super Recogniser to help him out! The Association is sure that there are a few fans out there….
Brad Pitt opens up about suffering with "face blindness" (cosmopolitan.com)
On 16th July, the Washington Post reported that:
As part of a recent experiment, scientists asked specially programmed robots to scan blocks with peoples’ faces on them, then put the “criminal” in a box. The robots repeatedly chose a block with a Black man’s face.
Those virtual robots, which were programmed with a popular artificial intelligence algorithm, were sorting through billions of images and associated captions to respond to that question and others, and may represent the first empirical evidence that robots can be sexist and racist, according to researchers. Over and over, the robots responded to words like “homemaker” and “janitor” by choosing blocks with women and people of color.
The study, released last month and conducted by institutions including Johns Hopkins University and the Georgia Institute of Technology, shows the racist and sexist biases baked into artificial intelligence systems can translate into robots that use them to guide their operations.
See the full report via the link below. This is more reasons to use HUMAN super recognisers, to identify people AND to verify identifications made by AI.
Robots trained on AI exhibited racist and sexist behavior - The Washington Post
The UK should ban all use of facial recognition technology until a clear legal framework has been developed to regulate it, an independent report has said.
A new report from the Ada Lovelace Institute has said there is an “urgent” need for a new framework governing “biometric” technologies – including facial recognition technologies – before they are deployed against the public by either public or private bodies.
The independent report, written by Matthew Ryder QC (Queen’s Counsel - a senior lawyer), said the government should temporarily ban all use of these technologies, until legislation is in place, as it said a legally binding code governing the use of facial recognition tech should be published as soon as possible.
See the full report here:
Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Andy Pope of the West Midlands Police has earned an international reputation as a Super Recogniser and rightfully so - he has identified over 2000 criminals in Birmingham. Andy was filmed on the German TV Show “Kaum Zu Glauben!” (“Hard to Believe!”) where the contestants have to guess the unusual jobs of the guests. If you line in Germany - see if you can recognise Andy! The date for broadcast is to be confirmed, but the programme is shown on Saturday evenings on the NDR channel. He is also an Honorary Fellow of the Associate in recognition of his crime-busting work.
This article, originally from the USA and now in the Hindustan Times, gives information on the performance of software and humans when recognising faces. It features PC Pat O’Riordan, a top Super Recogniser, who was given Honorary Fellowship of the Association by Lord Lingfield for his excellent work on the Grenfell Enquiry. Pat will also be familiar to many students who have attended SRI courses.
We live in a world where many members of the public (and not just robbers!) wear masks. Criminals will often take advantage of face coverings and sun glasses to hide their features, so that they cannot be identified on the street or when CCTV or other footage is reviewed after a crime. Such items can also hinder automated facial recognition systems. Research by Prof Josh Davis and others have shown that HUMAN Super Recognisers are still able to recognise people, despite masks or sunglasses, and that they consistently out-perform controls.
There are officers and staff with this skill in your police force, law enforcement agency or security company. My team can find them and train them to enhance the service you deliver. They can then ensure that more crimes are prevented and detected. Use the natural skills possessed by your team!
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.201169
A German Police Super Recogniser, Vanessa Stein, and Prof Josh Davis, an Honorary Member of the Association, feature on this ZDF broadcast. The Super Recogniser section begins at 13 mins 50 secs.
Super Recognizer: Berliner Polizei sucht perfekte Gesichtserkenner - Berliner Morgenpost
The Berlin newspaper (The Morning Post) reported that police in the German capital are looking for further Super Recognisers. The report is translated below. Further evidence of the spread of this policing tactic across the world.
Police Seek Perfect Face Recognisers
The Berlin police are still looking for people who have perfect facial recognition skills, so-called super recognizers.
Berlin. You can recognize almost anyone - whether it's on a blurry video, years ago, masked, aging, or otherwise changed. According to scientific estimates, between one and two percent of all people have the ability to memorize faces better than average and to recall what they have remembered at will. Last but not least, the so-called "super recognizers" are of great benefit to investigative authorities - including the Berlin police.
Since last summer, the authority has been trying to identify super recognizers in its own ranks. However, the result of a corresponding test run is still a long time coming. Originally, this should already be available in September 2021. "The differentiated scientific analysis of the test data is not yet complete," said a police spokesman on request. However, the officials also seem to be rather reserved. Because of the approximately 18,500 law enforcement officers who were asked to take part in a specially created test procedure in June, only 1,400 took part. With one to two percent, however, only between 185 and 370 enforcement officers should have the ability.The police in Offenburg, in the south west of Germany near the border with France, are the latest law enforcement agency to identify and utilise officers with the Super Recogniser skill. Out of a work force of over 1500 staff, 35 Super Recognisers were found after extensive testing by Professor Josh Davis, an Honorary Fellow of the Association.
The article below notes that “On 18 February 2022, Police Vice President Jürgen Rieger and Criminal Director Hans-Martin Berl were able to present the certificates to the 35 employees from the entire Offenburg police headquarters in two small ceremonies. "We hope that their special skills will enable us to further professionalize our work for the benefit and safety of our citizens," said Police Vice President Jürgen Rieger.”
The Association praises this German Police Force for its innovation and looks forward to seeing the results from the new Super Recogniser team.
35 "Super-Recognisers" take up work at the Offenburg Police (bnn.de)
The CEO of the Association, Mike Neville, discusses his policing career and Super Recognisers on a podcast with retired Superintendent Iain Donnelly, author of the policing book “TJF”.
The ASR is the professional body representing those who possess the super recogniser skills around the globe. Via our associate scheme, you will be able to access the latest developments in the science of super recognition, browse job opportunities and contact other practitioners from around the globe who share your unique skills and abilities. After a certain period of years in practice, you may even be invited to become a Fellow of the Association.
Have you got an amazing memory for human faces? Your skill could help law enforcement, security companies, Armed Forces or other organisations. You may just want to use your skill for fun OR are simply interested in Super Recognition.
There is NO need to have a background in security, the military or law enforcement. Super Recognisers come from a wide variety of backgrounds.
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