(1) Australia uses this as well (for their passport control). Presumably if your face doesn't match you get diverted to deal with a human being (since computers are fallable).
(2) However, in the context they are using it, it is hard to put into words how utterly useless this is. You still need a BP (and deal with a passport check) to get through security, so for now all this seems to be to me is an unnecessary "gee whiz!" toy that has a chance of breaking and causing problems. I'll admit to being something of a luddite but this does not seem to be much more than a solution in search of a problem and it'll be fun to see what happens the first time the system breaks down and a dozen pax have already tossed their BPs (and/or when you get two passengers swearing they have seat 10C because it's stupid o'clock and one of them actually has 10D*).

*I've been this passenger once, mainly because I got mixed up as to which side C and D were one morning on an absurdly early flight out of LAX.