Same but different

It is nothing short of a modern miracle that we pass through security with an 8-year old passport photo and the machine can recognise us. There is no way that I look as young as did 8 years ago — and the change is accelerating appreciably — yet the mathematical description of my face reveals consistencies across time that confidently confirm the identity captured today matches the identity of 8 years ago.

I can do this when I see old friends, I hear the voice, observe mannerisms and match the older person with the memory of their younger selves and we’re back to where we left off. Machines match different things though. They’re not observing style but looking at pattern and confidence. With enough matched patterns, the machine can be confident-enough that there is a match despite 8 years of wear and tear.

In sonic terms, matching is done with our ears. We are somehow able to hear a flute

Updated on 16 May, 2025