IIT Jodhpur Partners with Swiggy to Develop Face Recognition Software

Online food delivery platform Swiggy has partnered with the esteemed Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur (IITJ) to develop an artificial intelligence-based feature for convenience delivery agents as well as customers.

The Applied Research team of Swiggy along with the leading experts from the institute will form a cutting-edge facial recognition system based on computer vision, backed with AI.

The feature will ensure a hassle-free operation between the restaurants and the consumer, and will further promote the AI power of the popular food delivery app. It will also lead to enhanced security and compliance on the platform.

What is face recognition technology?

Using sophisticated algorithms based on a person's face traits, machine learning entails comparing facial features against an existing identity in a database. It functions somewhat similarly to software that recognises fingerprints or irises. But there's no denying that compared to other kinds of software, facial recognition is more complex and advance.

The software can recognise a person's face, and a map based on the nose, eyes, chin, and cheeks is then generated. To identify people, the software takes into account the distinctive qualities that make each of us unique. The reliability of a facial recognition program's database determines how accurate it is. A larger database increases the likelihood that an identification programme will be successful.

Why is a facial recognition system needed?

The platform acknowledged the calibre of the AI-driven feature that can identify and extract faces from pictures and selfies in its database. The comparison of the extracted faces through the application can be utilised to verify a person's identity. Additionally, this technology can benefit Swiggy against fraud detection, impersonation, shift attendance, and more.

Hemant Misra, Vice-President of Applied Reaserch at Swiggy commented on the collaboration, "Swiggy has always sought to create and implement cutting-edge technologies to offer the maximum convenience to its consumers and partners. We are working on a system that would speed thorough background checks for delivery partners and assist us in preventing and controlling fraud and impersonation, with the support of changemakers at IIT Jodhpur".

IIT Jodhpur's professor Mayank Vatsa told the media that for more than ten years, the research team at IIT Jodhpur has been developing reliable face recognition systems for both confined and unconstrained settings. Through the collaboration with Swiggy, research on practical applications of document ID matching with selfies can be further improvised.