--- title: "Startup Slammed for Saying It Can Reconstruct Faces From DNA" description: "An Israeli AI company claims it can create a model of a face using DNA that can then be fed into a facial recognition system, a highly dubious claim." date: "2022-02-01" modified: "2022-02-01" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/startup-reconstruct-faces-dna" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "dna analysis" - "facial recognition" - "the digest" --- # Startup Slammed for Saying It Can Reconstruct Faces From DNA ![An Israeli AI company claims it can create a model of a face using DNA that can then be fed into a facial recognition system, a highly dubious claim.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## DNA to Face A subsidiary of Israeli AI company Cortica, called Corsight AI, claims it can create a model of a face using a person's DNA that can then be fed into a facial recognition system, a highly dubious — not to mention ethically fraught — claim that has experts calling foul, [*MIT Technology Review* reports](). Executives of the subsidiary presented the company's "DNA to Face" product in a presentation in December. According to the presentation obtained by *MIT Tech*, it can construct "a physical profile by analyzing genetic material collected in a DNA sample." Unsurprisingly, Corsight declined interviews to talk to the press about the feature. Even more worryingly, the company is clearly focused on bringing the technology to law enforcement. The only two members of its advisory board are a former CIA director and a former assistant director of the FBI, according to *MIT Tech*. ## Orwellian Nightmare Ethical concerns aside, experts doubt such a technology actually exists yet. While DNA is being used by law enforcement to identify perpetrators, it's usually a matter of matching to a sample — not rebuilding faces from DNA samples. The use of facial recognition software alone also been criticized over concerns such a technology could be inherently flawed and [biased against]() people of color. "Premature attempts to implement this technique would likely undermine trust and support for genomic research and garner no societal benefit," Dzemila Sero, computational imaging researcher at the Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica in Amsterdam, told *MIT Tech*. There are a number of small companies, such as Parabon NanoLabs, that claims their tech can [rebuild faces]() from DNA samples. Even then, the precision is still severely lacking and parameters are based on confidence scores. To many, Corsight is likely vastly overselling its technology. "The idea that you’re going to be able to create something with the level of granularity and fidelity that’s necessary to run a face match search — to me, that’s preposterous," Albert Fox Cahn, a civil rights lawyer who works on issues related to facial recognition systems, told *MIT Tech*. "That is pseudoscience," he added. **READ MORE:** [This company says it’s developing a system that can recognize your face from just your DNA]() \[*MIT Technology Review*\] **More on facial recognition:** *[Chinese Canon Employees Must Smile at the Facial Recognition Camera Before Returning to Work]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()