Machines aren’t just faster than humans at recognising faces, they’re also more accurate
As much as many of us value human interaction, there are some tasks that artificial intelligence performs much better than any person. Verifying customer identity is one of them, according to online finance specialists. As anyone who has ever opened a bank account online or in the flesh knows, a document with your photo will almost universally be required as proof of identity. In a bank branch, a clerk will look at you and your passport or driving licence, for example, to see if they match.
“One of the things people are very nervous about is things like call centres,” she says. “A lot of attacks that are going on now — a phishing attack or a text message or something — they get you because you’re coming out of the app.” That helps explain why online verification has become mainstream in recent years, with Li noting that the “vast majority” of onboarding is now online, among the traditional and new institutions that Onfido works with in the UK.