ZAO – a new Chinese app that lets users swap their faces with celebrities, sports stars or anyone else in a video clip – racked up millions of downloads on the weekend but swiftly drew fire over privacy issues. The app’s surge in popularity and sudden backlash from some users highlights how artificial intelligence (AI) technologies bring about new concerns surrounding identity verification.
According to App Annie, a firm that tracks app downloads all over the world, ZAO was the most-downloaded free app in China’s iOS App Store as of Sept.
“We thoroughly understand the anxiety people have toward privacy concerns,” the company said on Weibo. “We have received the questions you have sent us. We will correct the areas we have not considered and required some time.”
