The Chinese paper was correct to believe that AI is something everyone in the world should be concerned about, but neglected to mention that China…
The Chinese paper was correct to believe that AI is something everyone in the world should be concerned about, but neglected to mention that China is one of the big reasons they should be concerned.
China is, without question, the world leader at using artificial intelligence technology to create totalitarian surveillance mechanisms. The Global Times brushes up against this point with amusing delicacy by boasting that facial recognition technology at a Chinese airport recently helped to catch a suspect accused of murdering his mother but studiously avoided mentioning the inescapable surveillance mousetraps created with such technology in places like Xinjiang province.
The alleged murderer caught by airport security was an interesting demonstration of what AI is already capable of. Barely six months after the airport in Chongqing installed a facial recognition system, a fugitive named Wu Xieyu who had evaded the authorities for three years by inventing dozens of false identities strolled into the airport and was identified by computerized cameras in a matter of minutes.
The Global Times argued that China should have a leading role in formulating “AI governance,” a worldwide code of ethics for the use of advanced autonomous computer technology.
