An Artificial Intelligence Lie Detector To Start Questioning Travelers in the EU

[SeaBreeze]

A little too 'futuristic' for me. :magnify: More here.

A number of border control checkpoints in the European Union are about to get increasingly—and unsettlingly—futuristic.

In Hungary, Latvia, and Greece, travelers will be given an automated lie-detection test—by an animated AI border agent. The system, called iBorderCtrl, is part of a six-month pilot led by the Hungarian National Police at four different border crossing points.

“We’re employing existing and proven technologies—as well as novel ones—to empower border agents to increase the accuracy and efficiency of border checks,” project coordinator George Boultadakis of European Dynamics in Luxembourg told the European Commission. “iBorderCtrl’s system will collect data that will move beyond biometrics and on to biomarkers of deceit.”

The virtual border control agent will ask travelers questions after they’ve passed through the checkpoint. Questions include, “What’s in your suitcase?” and “If you open the suitcase and show me what is inside, will it confirm that your answers were true?” according to New Scientist.

The system reportedly records travelers’ faces using AI to analyze 38 micro-gestures, scoring each response. The virtual agent is reportedly customized according to the traveler’s gender, ethnicity, and language.

For travelers who pass the test, they will receive a QR code that lets them through the border. If they don’t, the virtual agent will reportedly get more serious, and the traveler will be handed off to a human agent who will asses their report. But, according to the New Scientist, this pilot program won’t, in its current state, prevent anyone’s ability to cross the border.

 

[SeaBreeze]

AI Newscasters unveiled in China, Work 24/7/365

...but don't ask for overtime pay. More here.

China’s state news agency Xinhua unveiled two very realistic looking AI news anchors that can “tirelessly” report the news 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, from anywhere in the world.

We’ve known that robots and artificial intelligence were coming for our jobs, but somehow I never thought news anchors would be among the first to be replaced. However, if the two AI broadcasters who made their debut last week during China’s annual World Internet Conference are anything to go by, the future of human news anchors looks very bleak.

The newest additions to Xinhua’s team of broadcasters not only look disturbingly realistic, but they can also move their mouths to match the audio, blink, nod their head in emphasis, or raise their eyebrows. But their most important quality is that they can work 24/7, both on the agency’s website and on social media platforms, greatly “reducing news production costs and improving efficiency”.

 

[CindyLouWho]

The newscasters is a bit much, talk about impersonal, might as well listen to the news as opposed to watching it.
I'm all for face recognition...whatever can possibly keep us all safer.

 

[dkay]

That's kind of creepy but there have been lots of fiction and movies about artificial intelligence throughout the years. Was it Ray Bradbury who said something like, "If a man can imagine it, it will become a reality."?

 

[gennie]

I once had a close neighbor and friend who was a customs officer in an International Airport. They were taught to watch for involuntary clues in eye movement and facial expressions as these are good indicators of intention. A machine that can monitor and read these without bias could be helpful in many situations.

 

[Sunny]

I wonder how their percentage of accuracy would compare with a human agent's accuracy. Creepy as it is, if they are significantly better at spotting lies, it might be a good idea.