Veronica Rosas is one of the tens of thousands of Mexican mothers searching for a child who disappeared due to violence from cartel wars. Now, artificial intelligence can assist the loved ones of those who are missing in Mexico. Two new artificial intelligence tools are being developed to aid in the search for over 134,000 individuals.
Searching for Answers for Grieving Families
Veronica's son, Diego, disappeared at the age of 16 in September 2015 in the city of Ecatepec, Mexico. He did not return after leaving home to meet friends. The state prosecutor's office announced that he was kidnapped by a criminal gang, but it is still unclear which group was responsible and whether Diego is still alive. Veronica, 52, said at one of the regular protests in Mexico City calling for justice, "Eleven years have passed, and I still don't know where Diego is. There are no lines of investigation that lead us to find my son."
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Development of AI Tools by Universities
Cases like Diego's have prompted two universities to develop artificial intelligence tools. "Regresa" has been developed as an AI tool by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). This tool uses human measurements to create images showing how the faces of children, frozen in missing person posters, may change over time. Given that investigations typically take years, these updated images are a frequent request from families.
Countries such as the United States, India, and China use facial recognition software and age progression to search for abducted children. In Mexico, some prosecutor's offices use this technology, but most software relies on open-source photo databases that do not reflect typical Mexican features. The developers of Regresa took a different approach.
They created their image bank from hundreds of photos and data from 75 Mexican volunteers to produce portraits that showcase typical Mexican features. Ana Juarez, one of the project's co-founders, explained that Regresa also employs various technologies for age progression of children.
Veronica Rosas, as a grieving mother, acknowledges the importance of this initiative, stating, "This initiative is very important because they are no longer the same little kids who were kidnapped back then."
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