🌋 Amazon One Expands Functionality to Smartphone Photos
posted 28 Mar 2024
The Amazon One app, leveraging generative AI to scan palm veins and generate a payment-ready fingerprint, has now introduced functionality with photographs from a regular smartphone. Initially, enrolling a palm required visiting an Amazon physical store.
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The developers explain that the AI synthesizes the fingerprint by analyzing the photo against its infrared version. At this time, palm recognition for identity verification is offered in Whole Foods across America and at more than a hundred venues including stadiums, gyms, airports, and small businesses.
Yet, there's been some user concern over privacy and the risk of biometric data being compromised. Amazon has countered these concerns, emphasizing that all data undergoes end-to-end encryption before transmission to a secure domain on Amazon Web Service.
Amazon continues to heavily invest in artificial intelligence. For instance, the company recently poured $2.75 billion into AI startup Anthropic, marking its largest external investment to date. Furthermore, Amazon's total investments in Anthropic's developments now amount to $4 billion.
