New Startup Traces AI Tracks People Without Using Facial Recognition
Traces AI offers a privacy-focused computer vision alternative to facial recognition that tracks individuals using clothing and physical attributes instead of faces. The Y Combinator startup aims to provide effective security solutions for a market increasingly wary of invasive surveillance.
Traces AI, a new computer vision startup from Y Combinator's latest batch, builds a privacy-focused alternative to traditional facial recognition tracking. Instead of analyzing faces, the company's technology automatically blurs human faces in camera feeds and relies on other physical attributes like clothing, hairstyles, and backpacks to follow individuals.
The founders argue that facial recognition is too invasive for the general public and note that many customers do not actually need or want facial tracking. As cities like San Francisco ban government use of facial recognition and face backlash over widespread surveillance programs, Traces AI positions itself as a highly effective yet less invasive solution.
While this clothing-based tracking method leaves room for simple disguise evasion and lacks the capability for multi-day manhunts, it excels in closed venues like amusement parks. In these environments, users can easily find a lost child by inputting a simple verbal description, such as a ten-year-old boy wearing blue shorts and a white t-shirt.