'Photo Magic' is Facebook's latest testing project that uses the same facial recognition software as in 'Moments' to send users' friends photos that they are in.
Once a Facebook user opens Messenger, the app scans through the photos on their smartphone after asking their permission. It matches the faces in the photos to those in the person's friend list on the social media site, offering to send those friends the photos that they're in. If the image includes a large group of people, then Facebook will start a group message with all of them included.
Though some may be worried that this is a breach of privacy, Facebook does allow users to opt out of the facial recognizing ability, eliminating their pictures from being scanned. 'Photo Magic' will likely expand beyond Australia in coming months and be popular with young, female social media users.
Facial-Recognizing Photo Messages
Facebook's Photo Magic Recognizes People & Sends Them the Photos
Trend Themes
1. Facial-recognizing Photo Sharing - Opportunity for social media platforms to use AI-powered facial recognition technology to improve photo sharing experience and engagement with users.
2. Automated Contact Detection - Opportunity for messaging apps to leverage AI technology to automatically detect contacts and recognize faces in photos, streamlining the photo-sharing process and improving user experience.
3. Privacy & Security Concerns - Growing focus on privacy and security concerns around facial recognition technology, leading to need for improved regulation and user control over data usage.
Industry Implications
1. Social Media - Social media platforms can leverage facial recognition technology to build more engaging and personalized experiences for users, increasing user retention and monetization opportunities.
2. Messaging Apps - Messaging apps can use AI-powered automated contact detection to simplify the photo-sharing process and improve user experience, leading to increased adoption and engagement.
3. Cybersecurity - Growing concerns around privacy and security related to facial recognition technology create opportunities for cybersecurity firms to develop new solutions for data protection and management.