Google AI search that uses Face Detection Technology miss-identified me and two other Māori men by interchanging images and representing the other men as me. The other Māori men are: Brian Dickey KC of Waikato-Tainui (Ngāti Maahanga), Kingi Snelgar (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whakaue, Te Whakatōhea and Ngāi Tahu) and me, Karaitiana Taiuru (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Toa) .
According to Google, they do not use Facial Recognition Technology, but other AI technology to find patterns as opposed to biometrics as FRT does.
When you put a person’s photo into Google Image Search, the core technologies are face detection + feature extraction + visual similarity search, combined with page context. It’s not facial recognition (no identity matching to a database of people), but it can feel close when the image is already widely available online with identifying text.
Experiments
The first experiment with Google Image Search I typed “Dr Taiuru” and then selecting the AI mode produced startling results.
While the standard search produced many photos of myself from my publications and approved media articles, there was a image that Google purported was me in the AI mode search results.
Using the ‘Search with Google Lens” option with the image of the person in the red box above, an AI generated side box provided the following information:
“AI Overview –
The image shows Brian Dickey, a prominent New Zealand lawyer.
Brian Dickey is recognized as one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most senior litigators and dispute-resolution specialists.
He previously served as the Crown Solicitor for Auckland, where he oversaw the prosecution of serious crimes and personally led high-profile cases, including the Grace Millane murder trial.
Currently, he is a barrister at Bankside Chambers, focusing on commercial litigation and front-line advocacy for complex cases.
Dickey was appointed Chief Crown Negotiator for Treaty of Waitangi claims for the Ngāpuhi and Hauraki groups by the Coalition Government.
He has a long and distinguished career in major criminal, commercial, and civil litigation, with over 30 years of experience in the New Zealand courts system”.
To verify the image is Brian Dickey, I visited the web Bankside Chambers web site and verified that the other image is indeed Brian Dickey who is also of Māori descent, but the authoritative web site also stated that Mr Dickey is also a Kings Council.
I then asked Google to do a “Dive Deeper in AI mode” and got the following, noting the image of me is in fact Mr Dickey.
My next experiment used my name “Karaitiana Taiuru”. The following is the output:
The person in the image is Kingi Snelgar a criminal defence lawyer, youth advocate and academic based in Auckland, New Zealand.
Conclusion
The bias and issues with Facial Technology Recognition is well documented and progress has been rapid and ongoing to address the issues. The AI technology of Facial Detection Technology which is now being used in Google searches is another issue that we must be monitoring.
These examples again reinforce the need for human checking AI produced outputs, including images. It also again highlights the need for specialised bias training with human beings that are checking Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) positives hits.