Why are more people studying Biometrics after the pandemic?

The current boom in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) courses has opened up interest in studying related technologies. One of these is biometrics. Most undergraduate college level modules of AI and ML for engineering, IT, Physics and related subjects started including biometrics after the pandemic. In 2021, this emerged as a learning trend, with even some school level short courses on AI and ML introducing the concept of biometrics to students. But what is biometrics and why is it so popular?   

What is biometrics? 
Biometrics is a technology where specifications of individual human bodies become a means of identity verification for security purposes. This sounds tough, but we actually know what it means. The thumb impression we use for Aadhar cards is an everyday example. Many offices allow entry based on eyeball or face scan of employees instead of ID cards. A lot of laptops and mobiles use fingerprint or face scan as a device locking method. Learning about this technology is called biometrics studies.  

Just how popular is biometrics?  
A technology needs to have wide industrial usage to become a study subject. The 2021 Duo Trusted Access Report, was prepared and released by Cisco's Duo Security. It analysed data from a mind-boggling 36 million devices, used by more than 4 lakh people. It seemed 71% users enabled biometric authentication for Duo on mobile devices. Apart from personal users, the report confirmed that enterprises are actively moving away from passwords to adopt biometric enabled authentication for hybrid and online workforce. 46% of the companies responding to the Duo survey said employees forgetting, misusing or getting confused over passwords was frustrating, and they prefer biometrics instead. It’s not just once report. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) had published standards for biometrics-based web authentication in 2019. But 2021 has seen a bigger use case boom than the previous years.  

Why is biometrics an educational trend too?  
The hybrid and online working model are probably here to stay. The pandemic started it, but now these working methods are becoming a way of life. As lifestyle, employment, and working conditions re-structure themselves to the New Normal, biometrics has become a hugely important field for study and future employment.