Microsoft to Stop Selling Some Artificial Intelligence Tools for Facial Analysis

Microsoft Corp. has decided to stop selling artificial intelligence-based facial analysis software tools that identify a person's emotional state, gender, age, mood and other personal characteristics because the algorithms demonstrate bias and inaccuracy.

As for buyers of AI tools, they will be able to use them for a year before they expire. Current customers have one year to apply for continued access. The company is also restricting the use of other facial recognition software to check for compliance with Microsoft's ethical guidelines for AI.

The change comes two years after Microsoft and Amazon.com Inc. suspended sales of facial recognition technology to US police agencies after studies showed it performed poorly on people with darker skin.

It is worth noting that Microsoft is not going to completely abandon the use of artificial intelligence to recognise human reactions. The company continues to add other features to guess people's feelings or emotional states. For example, last week the company unveiled Viva Sails, which allows it to use AI to analyse customer sentiment to see which actions and marketing materials are working well and provide feedback to sales representatives.