As technology becomes more sophisticated, so are the attempts of fraud. In 2017 alone, more than 16 million adults experienced identity fraud.

Quite a scary thought. And although it hasn’t happened to you yet, you shouldn’t be lenient. Taking the right measures today will ensure that you stay protected for the years to come.

It may already even exist in the devices that you use. An example is the new iPhone which allows you to unlock with just your face. This is supported by AI technology which not only looks at the symmetry of your face but also your expressions. There’s developments now that can even authenticate you based on little nuances on your face.

For example, it may detect that you are distressed. With that expression, it can try to figure out whether you are being held at gunpoint by someone trying to steal information at your phone or you’re simply stressed out. These are important details that AI is able to catch on as a way to fight fraud.

At the moment, biometrics used as identification is still widely used today for smart verification but more advanced technologies now go beyond just the patterns of your thumbprint. It can also detect temperature to see whether it is really you inputting the thumb.

The future is here indeed. With AI, your identity online is more secure. It can accurately process information, verify your identity, and check it against various existing databases. Furthermore, it can detect whether a certain form of identification is forged. It looks into minute details like the type of paper and ink being used to create the ID, the print text, and the ID credentials. This ensures that no other form of ID out there exists other than yours.

AI can detect inconsistencies that the human eye can’t. This is because we have our own biases. What may seem legitimate in our judgement can be obviously fraudulent in the machine’s eyes. This saves a lot of time and prevents risks in situations where big populations are involved such as borders and airports.

Also, because AI is constantly learning and evolving, it learns that IDs can get worn or damaged. It does this by analyzing a huge collection of documents and applying metrics that allow it to authenticate even the most worn out of IDS.

It doesn’t stop there. With AI and the human brain working together, it may be possible to completely remove the risk of fraud. Sure, there will be many attempts to break into the system but the chances of fraudsters succeeding is greatly reduced. Much less compared to before.

This is because present day identification with the aid of AI cannot be hacked through in large numbers. The hacker would need to try to break into each account individually and forge each biometric data to a tee. And even that won’t pass when doubled checked by the human eye.

In rare instances where AI incorrectly denies a legitimate identity, it can still be solved by a human who will check for authenticity. The last decision goes to the human authenticator. They can then record the error and teach the machine how to prevent the same issue from happening in the future.

To you, as a consumer, you get to enjoy better security with less chances of your identity getting hacked. It’s also very convenient. You don’t need to remember passwords or enter a pin to get authenticated. You simply have to show up. That is the data input. And the rest is processed by AI.

Have you encountered AI in identity verification? Was it accurate or did it fail to identify you? Share your stories in the comments below.