biometric categorisation system
regulatoryWhat It Means
A biometric categorisation system is AI that sorts people into groups based on their physical characteristics like facial features, fingerprints, or voice patterns. Unlike systems that identify specific individuals, these systems classify people into categories such as age ranges, gender, or emotional states based on biometric data.
Why Chief AI Officers Care
These systems face strict regulations under the EU AI Act, with most uses being prohibited as high-risk applications. Companies using such technology for anything beyond essential technical functions in existing commercial services could face significant fines and compliance issues. CAIOs must audit existing systems to ensure they don't inadvertently deploy prohibited biometric categorisation.
Real-World Example
A retail chain's smart cameras that analyze customer faces to categorize shoppers by estimated age and gender for targeted advertising would be a biometric categorisation system. This would likely be prohibited under EU law, unlike a security system that simply detects the presence of people without categorizing their characteristics.
Common Confusion
People often confuse this with biometric identification systems that recognize specific individuals (like iPhone Face ID). Categorisation systems don't identify who you are, but rather what category of person you might be based on physical traits.
Industry-Specific Applications
See how this term applies to healthcare, finance, manufacturing, government, tech, and insurance.
Healthcare: In healthcare, biometric categorisation systems are used to classify patients by demographics, risk factors, or clinical...
Finance: In finance, biometric categorisation systems are used to segment customers for risk assessment, fraud detection, and per...
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Includes:
- 6 industry-specific applications
- Relevant regulations by sector
- Real compliance scenarios
- Implementation guidance
Technical Definitions
EU AI ActEuropean Union Artificial Intelligence Act
"An AI system for the purpose of assigning natural persons to specific categories on the basis of their biometric data, unless it is ancillary to another commercial service and strictly necessary for objective technical reasons."Article 3(40) • Effective: August 2, 2026
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