Examining Gender Bias of Convolutional Neural Networks via Facial Recognition

Image recognition technology systems have existed in the realm of computer security since nearly the inception of electronics, and have seen vast improvements in recent years. Currently implemented facial detection systems regularly achieve accuracy rates close to 100 percent. This includes even cha...

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Main Authors: Tony Gwyn, Kaushik Roy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-12-01
Series:Future Internet
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/14/12/375
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author Tony Gwyn
Kaushik Roy
author_facet Tony Gwyn
Kaushik Roy
author_sort Tony Gwyn
collection DOAJ
description Image recognition technology systems have existed in the realm of computer security since nearly the inception of electronics, and have seen vast improvements in recent years. Currently implemented facial detection systems regularly achieve accuracy rates close to 100 percent. This includes even challenging environments, such as with low light or skewed images. Despite this near perfect performance, the problem of gender bias with respect to accuracy is still inherent in many current facial recognition algorithms. This bias needs to be addressed to make facial recognition a more complete and useful system. In particular, current image recognition system tend to have poor accuracy concerning underrepresented groups, including minorities and female individuals. The goal of this research is to increase the awareness of this bias issue, as well as to create a new model for image recognition that is gender independent. To achieve this goal, a variety of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) will be tested for accuracy as it pertains to gender bias. In the future, the most accurate CNNs will then be implemented into a new network with the goal of creating a program which is better able to distinguish individuals with a high accuracy, but without gender bias. At present, our research has identified two specific CNNs, VGG-16 and ResNet50, which we believe will be ideal for the creation of this new CNN algorithm.
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spelling doaj.art-7c1ec305f0cc45398c9477e3f236b1d82023-11-24T14:58:46ZengMDPI AGFuture Internet1999-59032022-12-01141237510.3390/fi14120375Examining Gender Bias of Convolutional Neural Networks via Facial RecognitionTony Gwyn0Kaushik Roy1Department of Computer Science, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USADepartment of Computer Science, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USAImage recognition technology systems have existed in the realm of computer security since nearly the inception of electronics, and have seen vast improvements in recent years. Currently implemented facial detection systems regularly achieve accuracy rates close to 100 percent. This includes even challenging environments, such as with low light or skewed images. Despite this near perfect performance, the problem of gender bias with respect to accuracy is still inherent in many current facial recognition algorithms. This bias needs to be addressed to make facial recognition a more complete and useful system. In particular, current image recognition system tend to have poor accuracy concerning underrepresented groups, including minorities and female individuals. The goal of this research is to increase the awareness of this bias issue, as well as to create a new model for image recognition that is gender independent. To achieve this goal, a variety of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) will be tested for accuracy as it pertains to gender bias. In the future, the most accurate CNNs will then be implemented into a new network with the goal of creating a program which is better able to distinguish individuals with a high accuracy, but without gender bias. At present, our research has identified two specific CNNs, VGG-16 and ResNet50, which we believe will be ideal for the creation of this new CNN algorithm.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/14/12/375convolutional neural networksgendergender biasauthenticationpresentation attackpresentation attack detection
spellingShingle Tony Gwyn
Kaushik Roy
Examining Gender Bias of Convolutional Neural Networks via Facial Recognition
Future Internet
convolutional neural networks
gender
gender bias
authentication
presentation attack
presentation attack detection
title Examining Gender Bias of Convolutional Neural Networks via Facial Recognition
title_full Examining Gender Bias of Convolutional Neural Networks via Facial Recognition
title_fullStr Examining Gender Bias of Convolutional Neural Networks via Facial Recognition
title_full_unstemmed Examining Gender Bias of Convolutional Neural Networks via Facial Recognition
title_short Examining Gender Bias of Convolutional Neural Networks via Facial Recognition
title_sort examining gender bias of convolutional neural networks via facial recognition
topic convolutional neural networks
gender
gender bias
authentication
presentation attack
presentation attack detection
url https://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/14/12/375
work_keys_str_mv AT tonygwyn examininggenderbiasofconvolutionalneuralnetworksviafacialrecognition
AT kaushikroy examininggenderbiasofconvolutionalneuralnetworksviafacialrecognition