Are all fingerprints really unique? AI-based research disproves this
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Scientists have found that not all human fingerprints are actually unique. They are convinced that this discovery can improve the investigation of criminal cases.
A study published in the journal Science Advances refutes the conventional understanding of the nature of fingerprints, according to which no two identical drawings exist, writes CNN.
In the study, led by Columbia University professor Geibu Guo, the team applied a deep contrast network. This model of artificial intelligence is usually used for face recognition.
The researchers tested their hypothesis using a US government database containing 60,000 fingerprints. Some of them belonged to the same person (but from different fingers), and others to different people.
| Photo: Aleks2016/Depositphotos |
A system based on artificial intelligence found that the fingerprints of different fingers of the same person are very similar to each other. Therefore, she was able to determine which of the prints belonged to the same person and which did not. At the same time, the accuracy of the definition reached 77%. This refutes the idea that every fingerprint is “unique”.
For hundreds of years of forensic analysis, people have used the various branches and endpoints on the edges of fingerprints as traditional markers for their identification.
“They are great for matching fingerprints, but unreliable for finding correlations between the fingers of the same person.” says Professor Guo.
The authors of the study say that in order for this system to be used in real forensics, it needs to be more thoroughly tested by analyzing a wider database of fingerprints.
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| Photo: NewAfrica/Depositphotos |
However, Guo is confident that this discovery can improve criminal investigations.
“It can help generate new leads for unsolved cases where fingerprints left at crime scenes belong to other people. Not only will it help catch more criminals, but it will also allow innocent people to avoid unnecessary investigations. I think it will be a win for society.” , – says the professor.
The importance of the study goes beyond just fingerprints, he said.
“It’s not just about forensics, it’s about artificial intelligence. People have been looking at fingerprints for as long as we’ve been around, but no one had ever noticed the similarity until our AI analyzed it.
I think this study is just the first domino in a huge sequence. Next, we’ll see people use artificial intelligence to discover things that were literally hiding in plain sight, right before our eyes.” – summed up Ho.
Read also: In Britain, astronomers have discovered a cosmic ring, the size of which contradicts the theory of the universe
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