This AI can search the web and piece together your life

An artificial intelligence tool called InquiryIQ is being tested by Clearview AI, the facial-recognition company often utilized by law enforcement. InquiryIQ aims to automatically search the internet and compile a comprehensive picture of a person's life, going beyond merely identifying someone's face. According to WIRED, the prototype can utilize data from a Clearview facial-recognition search to uncover additional details like an individual's aliases, employers, addresses, social media accounts, and associates.

This functionality could streamline the investigative process that typically requires investigators to manually switch between search engines, websites, and databases. However, the potential of InquiryIQ has raised significant privacy concerns. The existing Clearview technology enables users to upload a photograph of a person and search for possible matches against the company's extensive database of images gathered from the public internet.

InquiryIQ extends this capability by searching the web for information related to the identified individual and organizing the findings for the investigator. This could transform a single photograph into the starting point for a much broader digital investigation. Privacy experts caution that the automation provided by AI agents, such as InquiryIQ, could significantly expand surveillance by removing the time and effort traditionally needed to investigate someone's online life.

Additionally, the accuracy of AI systems is a concern, as incorrect links between pieces of information could lead to the creation of a seemingly convincing but inaccurate profile. Clearview emphasizes that human verification is necessary for the system-generated information, and the technology is currently only a prototype not yet released for law enforcement use.