A new study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, highlighted by The Economist, raises concerns about the potential use of AI to judge individuals solely based on their facial characteristics. The study aimed to determine if AI could detect trustworthy people by analyzing their facial features. This research builds on previous studies that suggest personality traits can be determined from facial features, a highly controversial and ethically problematic concept. The UPenn team claims that AI can accurately predict important characteristics such as respectfulness and trust linked to financial success by analyzing facial scans.

The study used an AI system trained on face-based personality detection to extract traits from headshots of 96,000 MBA graduates from LinkedIn. The researchers inferred a correlation between the identified traits and the graduates’ success in the labor market. For example, extroversion was identified as the strongest positive predictor of compensation, while openness suggested lower earnings.

The potential implications of this research are alarming, as it suggests a future where decision-making processes for job applications, loans, or rentals could be influenced by facial analysis alone. The Economist points out that corporations may find a ‘strong incentive’ to deploy such technology in a society where financial success reigns supreme.