Technology

sigh

The news:

So, in conclusion: If your face is large, you’re a conservative; if it’s skinny, you’re a liberal; and facial recognition is bad—we all know that. That seems to be all you need to know.

The paper:

Our results, suggesting that stable facial features convey a substantial amount of the signal, imply that individuals have less control over their privacy. The algorithm studied here, with a prediction accuracy of r = .22, does not allow conclusively determining one’s political views, in the same way as job interviews, with a predictive accuracy of r = .20, cannot conclusively determine future job performance.

r=0.22 is a weak to moderate correlation, btw. An actual predictor will need more data than just one's face in order to have a decent chance.

Bullshit. Phrenology/Craniology was shown to be 100% false more than 100 years ago. It's pseudoscience.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrenology
Although it's not exactly the same, it is mostly similar.

Sure, AI can do anything, but can it tell us why kids love the taste of Cinnamon Toast Crunch™️?

What's the accuracy? About 50% AKA random chance?

This is obviously a lie. The only thing you can tell about a person by looking at their face is whether they are a cop or not. More thumb shaped more likely they are a cop. /s

According to this analysis—and, I have to warn you, it’s kinda funny—liberals and conservatives have markedly different facial morphology. Liberals have “smaller lower faces” and “lips and noses [that] are shifted downward,” and chins that “are smaller” than conservatives, researchers write. Researchers repeat the key conclusion later on: “liberals tended to have smaller faces.” 

So, according to this theory, if you have a tiny face, you’re probably a progressive. Or, by contrast, if you have a big fat face, there’s a good chance you might be a Trump voter.

I don't believe it at all

I'm not giving gizmodo a click, but I'd be happy to read the study if anyone has a link. Mostly I want to know if they controlled for weight. There is a correlation between urban, liberal, and healthy, and between rural, conservative, and overweight.

We demonstrate that political orientation can be predicted from neutral facial images by both humans and algorithms, even when factors like age, gender, and ethnicity are accounted for. This indicates a connection between political leanings and inherent facial characteristics, which are largely beyond an individual’s control. Our findings underscore the urgency for scholars, the public, and policymakers to recognize and address the potential risks of facial recognition technology to personal privacy.

"peer-reviewed" bullshit.

I believe it, I'm correct about it like 98% of the time too.

I recall studies that have found correlations to...maybe it was the size of brain structures? (Specifically the amygdala)

I wouldn't be surprised if there were something confounding that resulted in both a larger amygdala and some sort of change in facial structure.

But given that this article misrepresents the findings of the article, I wouldn't put too much weight on it.

I can tell your political affiliation by looking out of my window: If the clouds are moving to the left...

/s

Lol, and people will gobble this up.