A funny incident happened to a British tourist at Bali’s airport. The traveler decided to use the new automated gates system but couldn’t pass through, even after several attempts. The reason was the artificial intelligence system, which compares the passport holder’s face with the photo in the document. However, the facial recognition algorithm ignored the Briton’s face and instead focused on the tourist’s T-shirt. It featured a print of a young David Bowie—who, incidentally, was also English.
The tourist, named Terry Besant, shared the story of his struggle with the automated gate:
“I tried to pass through the barrier five times, using three different kiosks,” he said. “But the Indonesian AI system wouldn’t give in. The screen kept suggesting I contact an officer, but there were no staff members in sight.”
The AI algorithm couldn’t understand why a person who was 74 years old according to his passport looked like a 22-year-old. The obvious solution was to take off the T-shirt, but the tourist didn’t want to show disrespect to Indonesia immediately upon arrival. In the end, he put on a jacket to cover the image. Only then was he able to pass through passport control.
In March last year, 30 automated gates were installed at Bali’s airport. Then, in September, another 90 auto-gates were added: 60 in the arrivals area and 30 in departures. These devices have significantly sped up the passport control process, reducing waiting times to 15–25 seconds per person. According to testing results, the system’s accuracy is 98%.
Facial recognition system failures don’t only happen in Indonesia. Last year, auto-gates at several UK airports also malfunctioned multiple times, causing long queues for passengers in March 2024. Facial recognition errors still occur from time to time. Keep in mind that there is always the option to go through passport control with an officer, who is unlikely to confuse you with the image on your T-shirt. So, if you encounter any issues, simply use the traditional method of entering the country.
Sources: tempo.co, independent
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