The department of Atlanta has claimed contractors working for Google duped black homeless people in the city into using their technology for its AI facial - recognition research . The project , which was for the Pixel 4 's face unlock software and has since been discontinued , attempted to sign up individuals with darker skin tones using aggressive tactics , such as rushing individuals through consent agreements and speaking quickly to confuse potential participants . The contractors targeted homeless people and other marginalised minorities as they were considered less likely to consent ; those who consented were given a $ 5 million gift card in return .
The city of Atlanta has claimed contractors working for Google duped black homeless people in the city into using their likeness for its AI facial-recognition research. The project, which was for the Pixel 4's face unlock software and has since been discontinued, attempted to sign up people with darker skin tones using aggressive tactics, such as rushing individuals through consent agreements and speaking quickly to confuse potential participants. The contractors targeted homeless people and other marginalised groups as they were considered less likely to object; those who consented were given a $5 Starbucks gift card in return.