Facial recognition technology is increasingly being adopted in security devices, but a recent incident revealed its limitations in real-world use. A global IT company’s flagship smart door lock malfunctioned when its AI facial recognition system mistakenly identified a delivery worker as the homeowner and automatically unlocked the door. Despite achieving high authentication accuracy in laboratory tests, the case clearly demonstrated that such systems could fail in real environments, creating serious security risks.

When security is mission-critical, malfunctions in facial recognition can lead to unauthorized access, data breaches, and even threats to life and property. While many companies combine the latest algorithms and hardware to boost performance, lab evaluations and real-world conditions can differ drastically. In the field, numerous “non-ideal variables” such as lighting, angles, diverse ethnicities, facial changes, masks, or hats can significantly increase the likelihood of authentication errors if not backed by deep integration expertise in both hardware and software.

Practical Limits and Risks of Facial Recognition

This incident reinforces the importance of field testing and optimization experience, not just laboratory accuracy.

The Core of Suprema’s Reliable Security: AI-Hardware Optimization and Real-World Expertise
Suprema delivers both high lab accuracy and true security in real environments through the industry-leading AI and hardware optimization technology, based on years of proven field reliability and deployment experience.

Suprema delivers both high lab accuracy and true security in real environments through industry-leading AI and hardware optimization technology, backed by years of proven field reliability and deployment experience

1. Verified Hardware-Software Integration
•    BioStation 3 and BioEntry W3 are edge AI devices embedded with Suprema’s proprietary deep-learning AI engine that provide maximum authentication performance
•     0.2-second authentication, with high accuracy across diverse ethnicities, face changes (masks, glasses, hats, beards, hairstyles), and challenging lighting conditions such as backlight, low light, and varying brightness
•    BioStation 3 and BioEntry W3 are equipped with Neural Processing Units (NPUs), enabling them to efficiently process large datasets with lightweight AI engines, preventing overheating or slowdown while boosting both the speed and accuracy of facial authentication.

2. Real-World Optimization and Deployment
•    Proven across small offices, enterprises, indoor/outdoor settings, and even extreme environments
•    Suprema’s most advanced and specialized technologies for data preprocessing and post-processing, which include camera and image quality optimization, advanced analysis processes, and refined matching results, enhance facial authentication accuracy across various environmental scenarios
•    Suprema’s facial authentication devices are equipped with both infrared (IR) and RGB cameras, providing strong protection against face spoofing attacks such as fake faces, images, and photos
•    Certified by iBeta’s ISO/IEC 30107-3 PAD test, meeting the highest global standards for anti-spoofing
•    IP67 dust/water resistance and IK08 impact protection ensure stability under harsh weather and physical impact
•    Tens of thousands of authentications in customer deployments build unmatched real-world expertise

3. Strong Privacy and Data Protection
•    Edge-based AI enables data processing at the edge, and Face Template on Mobile allows users to directly manage their personal data
•    Multi-layer encryption safeguards against hacking and data breaches
•    Full compliance with global data protection standards (ISO/IEC 27001, 27701, GDPR)

4. Globally Recognized Innovation
•    Winner of CES 2025 Best Innovation Award
•    Recognized for its Q-Vision Pro facial recognition and behavioral analytics in preventing financial fraud and securing high-risk environments and leading global trends in AI-powered security

Expert Insight: Lab Accuracy ≠ Real-World Safety
While many biometric systems achieve high accuracy in controlled environments, unpredictable and complex real-world conditions often result in errors. Suprema minimizes malfunction risks through rigorous field testing, optimized AI-hardware integration, and extensive deployment experience—ensuring that the promise of safety is fulfilled in practice, not just in theory.

Suprema Facial Authentication: Technology That Creates Real Safety
•    BioStation 3 and BioEntry W3 have demonstrated flawless performance across major global projects and diverse environments
•    Recognized as a CES 2025 Best Innovation Award winner and included in the Global AI+X Top 100 list
•    Real-time field resilience + International certifications + Privacy-first approach = Future-ready security solutions

Recent facial recognition malfunctions highlight that lab performance alone is not enough. True security requires real-world optimization, proven field expertise, and robust data protection. Suprema ensures safety through its powerful optimization of AI and hardware, extensive deployment track record, and globally certified security—cementing its position as Korea’s leading representative in the global physical security market.