Exclusive: Google searches for new measure of skin tones to curb bias in products

FILE PHOTO: Dr. Susan Taylor, a dermatology professor at University of Pennsylvania, visits with a patient at the Penn Dermatology Clinic in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., August 11, 2020. University of Pennsylvania/Michael Passanante via REUTERS

(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google told Reuters this week it is developing an alternative to the industry standard method for classifying skin tones, which a growing chorus of technology researchers and dermatologists says is inadequate for assessing whether products are biased against people of color.

At issue is a six-color scale known as Fitzpatrick Skin Type (FST), which dermatologists have used since the 1970s. Tech companies now rely on it to categorize people and measure whether products such as facial recognition systems or smartwatch heart-rate sensors perform equally well across skin tones.