The Curious Face Off

The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry

• Episode: The Curious Face Off
• Website: The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry
• Feed URL: http://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/b07dx75g.rss
• Duration: 00:25:34
• Published: 2018-01-05 07:00

"Are machines better than humans at identifying faces?" asks the excellently named Carl Vandal.

Today's Face Off leads our intrepid detectives to investigate why we see Jesus on toast, Hitler in houses and Kate Middleton on a jelly bean.

Face perception psychologist Rob Jenkins from the University of York explains why we're so good at spotting familiar faces, like celebrities. Plus, Franziska Knolle from the University of Cambridge discusses her face recognition study involving Barack Obama and a group of highly-trained sheep.

But are we outwitted by artificial intelligence when it comes to face ID? BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones gives us the low-down on the pros and cons of current technology.

Presenters: Hannah Fry, Adam Rutherford Producer: Michelle Martin.