The use cases of facial recognition are increasing day by day with the advancement of technology. From airports to our mobile devices to high-security locations, we’ve all gone through face scans to prove who we are.
In 2024, one of the emerging applications of this technology became healthcare, where it is being used for patient identification.
If the industry chooses the best face recognition technology to integrate into the existing system, it will significantly help individuals with disabilities navigate public spaces more easily. These people can control digital devices through facial gestures, fostering inclusivity and accessibility for all.
A Quick Intro to Facial Recognition Technology
Face recognition is a biometric application that uses AI algorithms to verify a person’s original identity through their facial features. This advanced technology was used around the 1960s but has greatly evolved and been adopted in different sectors, such as passwords or ID cards.
Hence, in the coming years, the use of facial recognition will be bigger than ever, especially in popular industries such as Facebook. They use it to auto-tag your friends in photos and recommend content you may enjoy.
Apple also incorporates the best face recognition technology in its iPhones for secure authentication through Face.
Key Features of Facial Recognition Technology
Face recognition service fueled by artificial intelligence has become a powerful tool with wide-ranging applications. Here are some of its key features:
1. Face Detection and Recognition
This core function allows the system to identify and locate faces within an image or video. Advanced algorithms analyze facial features like eyes, nose, mouth, and cheekbones to create a unique “facial signature.”
Use cases of facial recognition include 2D and 3D analysis, with 3D offering greater accuracy in diverse lighting and angles.
2. Facial Feature Extraction and Analysis
The system goes beyond simply detecting a face. It extracts specific features like distance between eyes, nose shape, and jawline.
These features are then compared against a stored facial signature database for identification or verification purposes. Advanced deep learning algorithms improve accuracy and allow for recognition even with partial faces or variations in expression.
3. Matching Algorithms and Accuracy
Different algorithms match extracted features to stored ones, like Euclidean distance or Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Accuracy rates vary depending on algorithm complexity, image quality, and database size.
Recent advancements have pushed accuracy rates above 99% in controlled environments, but real-world performance can be lower.
4. Liveness Detection
This crucial feature helps to prevent spoofing attempts using photos or masks. Techniques include analyzing subtle facial movements, blinking, and heat detection to confirm a real person is present.
Liveness detection is crucial for ensuring the security and reliability of facial recognition systems.
5. Multi-factor Authentication
Facial recognition can be combined with other biometric factors like fingerprints or iris scans for enhanced security. This layered approach makes it harder for unauthorized individuals to gain access, even possessing one stolen credential.
Multi-factor authentication is increasingly used in high-security applications like financial transactions or access control. 
Facial Recognition in the Top Verticals
1. Security and Law Enforcement
This technology is beneficial in finding suspects and victims. It works with CCTV cameras and tracks individuals in crowded areas. Also, it can be deployed in airports to verify identities and automate security processes.
2. Retail Industry
Many stores are adopting facial recognition technology to track shoplifters and prevent theft. Furthermore, they use this marketing strategy to analyze customer demographics and offer personalized shopping experiences.
3. Healthcare Sector
It helps hospitals authenticate patients’ identities and track their medical records accurately. It also assists with diagnosis by learning facial features for potential genetic disorders or underlying health conditions.
4. Education Institutions
Face recognition applications help track attendance and monitor classroom attentiveness. It also assists with identifying unauthorized individuals on campus and enhancing campus security.
5. Banking Industry
This sector elaborates explicitly on the need for facial recognition so businesses can have secure authentication and fraud prevention. It helps with customer identification and remote account access through mobile banking apps.
6. Travel Industry
Many hotels are adopting facial recognition technology to offer guests a seamless check-in/check-out process. Airports also use it for faster and more secure boarding processes.
Top 7 Use Cases of Facial Recognition in 2024
An AI face detection solution is adopted by businesses to boost security, streamline processes, and improve customer experiences. Here are the top 7 use cases of facial recognition technology in 2024:
1. Frictionless Access and Convenience
The uses of facial recognition are expanding beyond current applications like securing building access. Many businesses offer the best user experience with this technology.
It identifies a person without physical contact, making it ideal for rapid and secure verification processes. Example
- Airport Experiences
People effortlessly walk through security checks. Airports like Schiphol and Dubai use face recognition applications to simplify boarding and baggage collection.
- Convenient Contactless Payments
Customers don’t have to fumble for their cards or remember passwords again. Facial recognition-based payment is adopted in stores and restaurants, offering speed, security, and a hands-free payment experience.
- Customize Shopping Experiences
Businesses are getting more profitable by making customers feel the best about their shopping experience. Because a face recognition solution in stores immediately knows their previous customer, preferences and moods.
- Greeting a customer by name when they enter the store
- Offering personalized recommendations based on previous purchases.
- Adjusting lighting or music to match the customer’s mood.
2. Security and Protection
Surveillance systems are everywhere, from homes to businesses to public spaces. They are playing a massive role in providing safety and security.
Traditional surveillance systems relied on manual monitoring of live feeds or recorded footage to detect unusual activities, which often led to errors.
However, with the integration of face recognition applications, surveillance systems now easily recognize and flag suspicious individuals, making it easier for security personnel to respond quickly.
It detects individuals within a camera’s view and identifies anyone in the system’s database, automatically alerting security personnel for targeted interventions. When used responsibly, uses of facial recognition can significantly enhance safety.
Here are a few examples to illustrate its potential.
- Remote Patient Monitoring
It is widely used to monitor a patient’s health remotely. The integration of this technology has refined healthcare practices and increased patient access to care.
- Improved Border Security
Automating border control processes with face recognition applications strengthened your business security and efficiency while reducing wait times.
1. Save time in large queues with AI-assisted traveler identification.
2. It transformed personal security with real-time facial recognition alerts.
- Predictive Crime Prevention
Advanced AI algorithms combined with facial recognition are being explored to analyze patterns and potentially predict criminal activity.
3. Transforming Entertainment and Education
Forget passive consumption and rote memorization! Facial recognition technology injects a dose of interactivity and personalization into the worlds of entertainment and education.
This technology is poised to reshape learning and play, from tailoring content to gauging engagement.
- Entertainment -Explore Tailored Content
There is no need to sift through endless options anymore. The platform learns user preferences by analyzing real-time emotional reactions captured through facial recognition. It then recommends movies and delivers entertainment that truly resonates with the user.
- Join the Narrative
Facial recognition uses in the entertainment industry are not limited to content recommendations. They also allow users to become a part of the story by scanning their faces and projecting them onto characters on-screen.
- Dynamic Live Experiences
Businesses can make their concerts, sports games, or theme park visits unforgettable by using the best face recognition technology to personalize the experience for each guest.
Customized shows, interactive games, and even AR filters can be activated using real-time audience reactions captured through facial recognition.
- Education – Friendly Learning
Educators can use facial recognition technology to gauge students’ engagement levels and adjust lessons accordingly. It helps create more personalized learning experiences that cater to each student’s needs and learning style.
- Improve Attendance Tracking
It is also being used in schools to track attendance accurately. It eliminates the need for manual entry or paper-based systems, reducing errors and saving time for students and teachers.
- Gamification for All
This technology transforms learning into a fun and engaging experience. It automatically tracks progress, rewards engagement with points, and creates a lively and competitive student atmosphere.
4. Efficient Workforce Administration
No more manual check-ins and badge swipes. Businesses are embracing facial recognition technology to make workforce administration more efficient.
- Secure Building Access
Facial recognition uses in the workplace are numerous, from building access control to employee time and attendance tracking. It eliminates the need for physical ID cards or key fobs, providing secure and convenient access control.
- Improved Employee Engagement
It is beneficial for large corporations to track employee engagement levels through facial cues. They can use this data to identify improvement areas and increase overall workplace productivity.
- Efficiently Organized HR Processes
HR uses this system to make employee onboarding and offboarding a breeze. It helps them quickly confirm an employee’s identity, access the necessary information, and update records in real-time.
5. Customer Service and Engagement
Do you remember the good old days when customer service was generic? You’d get a smile and a standard “Can I help you find something?” Well, those days are gone!
Facial recognition technology is completely transforming how businesses connect with customers. It’s introducing a whole new level of personalized service beyond just a “Hello.”
- Customer Interactions
Imagine the team providing tailored help according to your previous purchases and preferences as soon as you enter the store. That’s right! Retailers use facial recognition technology to recognize customers and provide preferences and recommendations.
- Enhanced Security in Hospitality
Hotels and casinos are getting on board with facial recognition to provide secure access to rooms and VIP areas. That not only makes things easier for guests but also boosts security levels.
- Targeted Marketing and Promotions
Retailers are tapping into facial recognition to make their in-store promotions and marketing campaigns more personal. It allows them to tailor offers directly to individual customers, making the shopping experience more customized and enjoyable.
6. Healthcare Advancements
Facial recognition technology isn’t just about security cameras and social media filters. In healthcare, it’s evolving into a powerful tool with the potential to transform patient care, offering unprecedented levels of accuracy, efficiency, and personalization.
- Telemedicine Authentication
With the facial recognition uses growing in healthcare, telemedicine has become increasingly popular. It securely verifies patients’ identities during remote consultations, which ensures privacy and legitimacy.
- Patient Pain Management
It is also being explored as a way to track and manage chronic pain in patients. By analyzing facial expressions, doctors can better assess the effectiveness of treatments and adjust accordingly.
- Early Detection of Medical Conditions
Advanced algorithms are being developed to detect early signs of medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. It can lead to an earlier diagnosis and better treatment outcomes for patients.
7. Financial and Government Security
Security breaches and identity theft are a growing concern in today’s digital world. Facial recognition technology is being used to enhance security measures and prevent fraud in this sector.
Folio3 AI’s face detection services have made significant strides in financial and government security. We offer extra security by making entry processes faster, digitally recording people, and cutting down on theft-related expenses.
- Financial Security – Fraud Prevention
A dedicated team of experts is committed to providing financial security for your business and preventing fraud. At Folio3 AI, we use facial recognition technology (FRT) that identifies individuals involved in fraudulent activities such as fake account creation or money laundering.
- Risk Management
With FRT services, you can quickly analyze customer profiles based on facial features and historical data. A system will thoroughly assess potential risks associated with financial transactions. It helps companies implement targeted security measures to mitigate risks effectively.
- Government Security – Border Control and Immigration
With advanced FRT systems, you can speed up identity verification by checking traveler identities against databases and watchlists. It improves border security and prevents unauthorized entry, which strengthens national security efforts.
What Does the Future Hold for Facial Recognition Technology?
According to MarketsandMarkets, the global facial recognition market is anticipated to achieve a valuation of $8.5 billion by 2025. It means the future of this technology holds a bigger platform, as many large corporations are already using this for different purposes.
Specific examples
- Walmart: Uses facial recognition for age verification at self-checkout counters.
- KFC: Pilots facial recognition for contactless payments in China.
- HSBC: Uses facial recognition for mobile banking logins.
- Disney World: Uses facial recognition for park entry and character interactions.
As technology advances and facial recognition becomes more accurate and accessible, it will likely be integrated with artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to create more intelligent and connected systems.
This integration could lead to innovative healthcare, retail, and transportation applications. Overall, the future of facial recognition technology holds promise for transformative applications across various sectors.
Experience Accuracy: Folio3’s AI Face Detection Demo:
Dawood is a digital marketing pro and AI/ML enthusiast. His blogs on Folio3 AI are a blend of marketing and tech brilliance. Dawood’s knack for making AI engaging for users sets his content apart, offering a unique and insightful take on the dynamic intersection of marketing and cutting-edge technology.
