China’s success at AI has relied on good data
But cheap labour has also played an important part
CHINA IS THE land of face recognition. Cameras able to extract face prints from passers-by are common in the streets of large cities like Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Boxy vending machines at airports offer to let you pay for a cup of orange juice, robot-squeezed for perfect freshness, by scanning your face. From December 1st all people applying for an account with one of China’s telecoms companies such as China Mobile must have their face scanned. Previous regulations required proof of identity, but the possession of users’ face prints will let firms verify identities in real-time via smartphone cameras.
This article appeared in the Technology Quarterly section of the print edition under the headline “A new trinity”
From the January 4th 2020 edition
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