What’s the Big News?
For years, we’ve believed that each fingerprint is unique to an individual. But, these Columbia researchers have developed an AI system that’s shaking up this long-standing belief. This new AI can match different fingerprints from the same person with a surprising 77% accuracy. That’s a big deal in the world of forensics.
How Did They Do It?
The team used a hefty amount of data for this project — specifically, 60,000 pairs of fingerprint images from a public government database. Instead of focusing on the traditional ridge details of fingerprints, the AI looked at something different: the shape and curvature of swirls and loops at the center of these prints.