Pioneering facial recognition scientist now fears his work’s consequences

Dr. Joseph J. Atick is a pioneering researcher and entrepreneur in the field of biometrics and facial recognition. After investing in the technology in the early 1990s, he went on to make his fortune as the rest of the world started to catch on — by 2011, the New York Times reports that he’d made millions of dollars after the bulk of his company, L-1 Identity, was bought out by a French military contractor. However, much like Sen. Al Franken, Atick is now wary about facial recognition technology’s potential for abuse, envisioning a future where powerful companies and government agencies rob everyone of their anonymity. He’s now working on convincing the industry to create guidelines to ensure that people’s civil liberties aren’t infringed upon. “Some people believe that I am maybe inhibiting the industry from growing,” he says. “I disagree. I am helping industry make difficult choices, but the right choices.” Read the entire profile at the New York Times.

Dr. Joseph J. Atick is now wary about facial recognition technology’s potential for abuse