“Now I look like an AI avatar instead of like myself.” Commuters, especially women, were surprised and even disappointed when they discovered the new ID photo on their SwissPass. “Mine looks totally humor“, deplores a TikTok user. Others, on the other hand, thank the Swisspass Alliance for having erased their skin defects. Like another Internet user, who was delighted with her new face in a video posted on the social network: “Thank you to the SBB for retouching the new photo on my AG!”
For its part, the Swisspass Alliance confirms that an external partner has been processing photos in an automated manner since October 2023, in particular using artificial intelligence (AI) and automatic image optimization. If necessary, the background can be removed and the exposure corrected, for example. For more than a year, some 900,000 photos have been validated, but we do not know how many of them have been optimized by the software.
However, thanks to these optimizations, it is possible to exploit low quality files when you need to update your profile. “As a result, we have been able to significantly reduce the number of photos that have to be rejected. No need to ask customers to send back one in better resolution,” explains Michaela Ruoss, spokesperson for Alliance Swisspass. This also makes work easier and speeds up the delivery of the card. According to the communicator, “in rare cases, it may happen that customers take offense. We then offer to produce a new card for them, if they wish.”
And you, what do you think of your new photo on the Swisspass card? You also look like an avatar and that bothers you? Or on the contrary, do you think it’s stylish? Or do you not see the difference? Tell us everything at the email address [email protected]!
