Fashion designer tricks AI facial recognition into thinking you’re an animal

An Italian clothing startup has unveiled a men’s and women’s line that can bypass facial recognition technology by fooling an AI-based algorithm into thinking the wearers are animals.

Milan-based Cap_able recently launched the Manifesto collection of hoodies, trousers, t-shirts and dresses for those who seek to protect their privacy.

“In a world where data is the new oil, Cap_able addresses the issue of privacy by sparking a debate about the importance of protecting against the misuse of biometric recognition cameras…,” the company writes on its website.

“Our Manifesto Collection” the first designer collection to offer jerseys that hide facial recognition,” reports Cap_able.

The collection is tailored in such a way that garments “are not recognized as such by real-time recognition cameras.”

Clothing patterns “confuse the algorithm” by “causing the camera to detect dogs, zebras, giraffes, or small people inside tissue rather than the person wearing the clothing.”

Cap_able released a video comparing people who wear her brand and those who wear other brands.

“Cameras placed in public areas do not recognize people in Cap_able as people, and therefore do not collect their biometric data,” the company said.

The privacy issue has gained traction in the Big Apple after Knicks owner James Dolan used facial recognition technology to bar lawyers from law firms actively litigating his company from visiting locations he owns.

Elected officials in New York last week warned Dolan’s Madison Square Garden Entertainment that it risks getting government support by using facial recognition software to ban people from places like Radio City Music Hall and the Garden.

Cap_able, founded by 2019 FIT alum Rachelle Diderot, said its technology is “based on the use” of so-called “adversarial patches” — or images that “cause recognition systems to ignore other objects in the scene and make them detect the subject. choice.”

The clothing specifically seeks to evade “YOLO” facial recognition technology, which is said to be the fastest real-time object detection system in existence, according to Cap_able.

“YOLO” – which means “you only look once” – is an open source face detection system that uses neural networks to read objects with greater speed and accuracy than other technologies on the market.

Maintaining privacy will certainly come at a cost. Short-sleeve Cap_able jersey shirts will set you back around $310, while the long-sleeve sweatshirt sells for around $460.

“The Manifesto collection is an example of the Cap_able way of doing things and the wider project,” the company said in a statement.

“He wants to educate the public about the importance of privacy and human rights by addressing the misuse of facial recognition technology.”