Unless you've been living under a rock this past year, you've likely come across at least one news story talking about facial recognition technology. As a form of biometrics, facial recognition promises to enhance society's experience with industry as a whole, from retail to travel. At the same time, there have also been fears of mismanagement at the expense of peoples' privacy.

The fact is, facial recognition isn't going anywhere. We've reached the point of no return. From sensors to cameras, there'll always be a digital eye tracking you out in public. And it's only going to increase with time. By 2020, there'll be an estimated 1 trillion sensors in operation, from GPS, smart homes, energy harvesting, to biomedical. And by 2022, there'll be an estimated 45 billion cameras in operation, from smartphones, IP, to CCTV.

This is our reality. And it can be a positive one or it can be a negative one.

One of the more prime examples of facial recognition being used today comes from China. The Chinese government has made it their mission to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) with that of their facial recognition software at a nationwide scale. With the help of SenseTime, China's largest AI company, the government is now able to track everyone's movement in real-time.

The impacts have been both positive and negative, depending on who you ask. On the one hand, Chinese authorities were able to track down and arrest fugitives in large, crowded areas using this technology. They've also used this tech to enhance peoples' shopping experience, thanks to companies like Alibaba, which allow them to simply walk into a shop, grab what they need, scan their faces to purchase their selected items, and then leave.

On the other hand, the Chinese government has also implemented a social credit system which uses their AI-enhanced surveillance to help dictate both punishment and rewards to their citizenry based on they perform, both legally and morally. Needless to say, this social credit system has proven itself to be highly controversial.