The password is dying. Good riddance, right? We’ve all been there – staring blankly at a password reset screen for the tenth time this month, cursing the day complexity requirements were invented. That vision of a passwordless utopia, propelled by AI’s boundless capabilities, is all too tempting. In fact, tech giants like Apple, Google, and Microsoft have already begun implementing passkeys, and experts expect it will become ubiquitous. Before we celebrate you so much that we throw our password managers in the digital garbage disposal, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. This isn’t just a matter of convenience and comfort, it’s about their control. It’s about our fundamental right to privacy.

AI's All-Seeing Digital Eye

Forget about forgetting your password. How about being forgotten because an algorithm got you wrong? We’re not just talking fingerprints, we’re talking facial recognition, voice analysis, even how you hold your phone. AI-driven biometrics technology is getting smarter all the time, always learning, always adapting. Who is teaching the AI? What biases are being baked into its core? Think about it: facial recognition systems have already demonstrated alarming inaccuracies when identifying people of color. Now, what happens when that bad technology is the gatekeeper to your bank account, your medical records, your life?

It evokes images of the old Irish stories of the Fomorian giants. Unfortunately, these giants had extra all-seeing, penetrating eyes. Except instead of a giant, it’s a faceless algorithm, ever lurking, ever assessing. Much like the Fomorians – unlike the Fomorians — we do not have at our disposal the ability to retaliate using a strategically launched projectile.

Behavior Monitored, Freedom Diminished

Not only biometrics Beyond biometrics, behavioral biometrics are set to be the next frontier in passwordless authentication. Even how fast you type and move your mouse is tracked. Even the way you touch type on your touchscreen is recorded to create an individualized behavioral signature exclusively for you. Sounds futuristic, right? It's dystopian, more like it.

True, it’s claimed to be for security, flagging odd behavior that indicates an intruder might be attempting to get into your account. What do you do when it isn’t your “normal” behavior that you need to change? What if you’re stressed, tired, or just typing on a different keyboard? Will you be locked out? All at once, your body becomes the ultimate key. An algorithm can withdraw that access at any time, whenever it feels like it.

This constant monitoring creates a chilling effect. How would you feel about sharing dissenting views in new and innovative ways online if you knew that every keystroke was being tracked? Are you going to chicken out from doing research on politically sensitive subjects if you know your online activities are being used to confirm your identity? The risk of self-censorship here is great, and it cuts to the core of what free expression means.

Data Became More Precious Than Gold

Here's a terrifying thought: all that data collected for AI-driven authentication – your facial scans, your voice recordings, your behavioral patterns – it's a goldmine for corporations and governments. Take a closer look, and Google’s cloud is a treasure trove of intensely personal data. What’s preventing them from deploying it without your express consent or for other nefarious purposes?

Imagine this: your auto insurer credits you for low risk because you’re a fast texter. At the same time, your employer is tracking your mouse inputs to figure out if you’re being productive enough. The potential for abuse is infinite, and the threat to Americans’ privacy is enormous. Employee attrition AI tools Another example we’re already seeing are AI tools to predict employee attrition.

This is not only an issue of passwords. This is about power. It’s not just where your data is going – it’s about who holds your data, and how they’re using it.

AI Fighting AI, A Losing Battle

The industry is already gearing up for an AI arms race, the purpose of which would be to use AI to combat AI. Sounds like a Hollywood movie, doesn't it? That's precisely what is happening. Just as AI-powered authentication improves, so will the tactics that aim to bypass it. Deepfakes, synthetic identities, advanced spoofing methods and other AI-enhanced hacking tools will always follow, launching an arms race that cannot be won.

STI Sheer size creates the potential for a large-scale breach to have devastating effects. Now picture a situation where malicious actors create an AI that allows them to replicate the behavioral tendencies of those millions of users. The consequences would be catastrophic. We have begun to see AI used in new types of phishing attacks.

Bias Amplified, Injustice Reinforced

Just like AI algorithms, which are heavily reliant on data, are only as good as the data they’re trained on. If that data is biased to begin with, the AI will only exacerbate those biases, resulting in discriminative results. We’ve witnessed this before with facial recognition, when these systems were significantly less accurate at identifying people of color. Now imagine that same bias baked into the authentication systems themselves. These systems decide your access to various aspects of life including finances, healthcare, and employment.

The potential for injustice is profound. Without proper controls, specific demographics might be disproportionately profiled, refused access to necessary services, or worse—falsely accused of fraud. We need to make sure that AI doesn’t just continue and worsen the inequities that we already have.

Abuse of Power, Individual Rights Eroded

AI-driven identity verification could be a powerful tool for surveillance and control. Governments and corporations would undoubtedly wield it to surveil citizens and employees, preemptively monitor their activities, and stifle dissent. We’ve already witnessed governments deploying AI to surveil protesters.

The consequences of such an erosion of privacy and freedom would be horrible. Now imagine a future where every single minute of your life is tracked, surveilled and scored. In such a dystopia, no action goes untracked, and your personhood is merely a collection of digital algorithms. This is not the future we want.

Regulation Needed, Now More Than Ever

The move towards a passwordless future is unstoppable, but it needs to be done carefully. That’s why we need robust regulations that protect our privacy, ban bias, and hold these algorithms accountable. Independent third-party audits of AI algorithms must be the starting point, as must transparent data usage policies and a strong legal framework.

We must insist that our governments and corporations put our rights ahead of convenience. We need to push for regulations that limit the collection and use of personal data, that prevent algorithmic bias, and that ensure transparency and accountability.

The future of identity is at stake. Let's not sleepwalk into a privacy nightmare. Join us in calling for a future where technology is used to empower us, not control us. Let's make sure that the death of the password doesn't become the death of privacy.