AI facial recognition monitoring is lagging far behind the technology, watchdogs warn

Britain’s biometrics regulators have warned that national oversight of AI-powered facial scanning to catch criminals is lagging far behind the technology’s rapid growth.

With the Metropolitan Police almost doubling the number of faces they scan in London in the last 12 months and the technology being increasingly used by retailers across the UK, Prof William Webster, the biometrics commissioner for England and Wales, said that “the slow pace of legislation is trying to keep up with the real world” and “the horse has gone before the cart”.

Dr. Brian Plastow, who holds the same role in Scotland, warned that the technology was “nowhere near as effective as police claim” and said there was a “patchwork legal framework” across the UK. He said in England and Wales police were “really just doing their own homework”.

The watchdog said new laws were needed to regulate when and how police forces use live facial recognition technology, with a new regulator to crack down on…