Artificial intelligence is having a cultural moment. AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT — and their visual image-creating counterparts like DALL-E — have been in the news lately for fear that they could replace human jobs. Such AI tools work by scraping the data from millions of texts and pictures, refashioning new works by remixing existing ones in intelligent ways that make them seem almost human.
Yet another, albeit lesser-known AI-driven database is scraping images from millions and millions of people — and for less scrupulous means. Meet Clearview AI, a tech company that specializes in facial recognition services. Clearview AI markets its facial recognition database to law enforcement "to investigate crimes, enhance public safety, and provide justice to victims," according to their website.
