Chinese state media outlet, Xinhua reported
that 557 security channels at 62 airports, including Shanghai Pudong
International Airport and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, are using
facial recognition systems for faster security checks and enhanced convenience
for travellers.
Through the system, passengers can avoid check-in
formalities and go directly to the security channels, where cameras capture
images of their faces and scan their ID cards or passports to verify their
identity.
The system, developed by the Chongqing Institute of Green
and Intelligent Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), has been used by around 80 percent of
the country's airports whose annual passenger throughput is in excess of 30
million people.
Shi Yu, head of the institute's smart security center, was
quoted as saying that passenger’s face is matched to their ID photo in less
than one second, while checking the validity of their credentials.
There are plans to deploy an upgraded system at an airport
in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, in May, and subsequently
at Yulin Airport in northwest China's Shaanxi Province in June, before being used
nationwide.
Many airports around the world are exploring the use of
facial recognition, including those in the US, Europe,
Australia
and Singapore,
Dubai
and Malaysia
in Asia.
Public sector
adoption of facial recognition in China
China is racing ahead in public sector adoption of facial
recognition technology. Earlier this year, news reports said
that facial recognition sunglasses were being tested to scan travelers during
the Lunar New Year migration in Zhengzhou. Later, there were reports
that their use is being expanded.
It is being used
by traffic management authorities in several Chinese cities across the
provinces of Fujian, Jiangsu, Guangdong and Shandong to catch and publicly
shame jaywalkers.
Thirty-two facial recognition devices had been installed
in Wuhan Railway Station to speed the process of checking tickets.
China Southern Airlines became the country's
first carrier to use facial recognition last year, with the technology put
into use Wednesday at Jiangying Airport in Nanyang city, Henan province.
Facial recognition technology is being trialled
at Beijing airport, in collaboration with Baidu, for the admission of
ground crew and staff, and later verifying the identities of passengers.
Beijing Normal University has installed a facial recognition security system in
campus dorms. Students have to identify themselves before being granted
access to residential buildings. If an intruder tries to get in, the system
will trigger an alarm.
Chinese unicorn (startups with valuation of over $3
billion), SenseTime is supplying
its facial recognition technology to several local governments in China.
Facial recognition is one of the key applications of
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. In July 2017, the State Council laid
out an Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy, with the aim of growing the
country’s core AI industries over 1 trillion Yuan (USD 150 billion; a 100 times
increase over the 2016 number), driving related industries to exceed more than
10 trillion Yuan by 2030.
