Facial Recognition In China Is Big Business As Local Governments Boost Surveillance
"The government is pushing the need for this technology from the top, so companies don't have big obstacles in making it happen," says an executive at a major Chinese artificial intelligence company.
Dozens of cameras meet visitors to the Beijing headquarters of SenseTime, China's largest artificial intelligence company. One of them determines whether the door will open for you; another tracks your movements.
The one that marketing assistant Katherine Xue is gazing into, in the company's showroom, broadcasts an image of my face with white lines emanating from my eyes, nose and corners of my mouth. It estimates I am a 37-year-old male (I'm 44) with an attractiveness score of 98.
"Is that a high or low score?" I ask Xue, whose digitized face
