Chinese universities trial facial recognition for freshmen registration
Thousands of students have their faces ‘read’, on first day on campuses across the country
The University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB), one of the capital city’s leading seats of learning, is among a group of educational institutions across the country taking part in a national pilot project to test out what could become one of the most commonly used forms of artificial intelligence (AI) in future: facial recognition.
Experts say if successful, the pilot could herald a wave of new applications for the technology, the use of which is growing in various sectors, including security checking, medical treatment and policing.
The universities and colleges taking part are using facial recognition technology on new student registration for the first time this year, and the pilot covers thousands of individuals, who’s faces are being “read” by the systems, essentially being used as confirming their ID.
“This AI application shows China’s universities are actively embracing high technology against the background of China’s ambitious plans to become a global leader in the AI industry,” said Li Yi, a researcher at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences internet Research Center.
“We expect this type of AI application for university freshmen enrolment, using facial recognition, will improve working efficiency and secure student information, and may also stimulate student interest in AI technology.”
Wang Xin was one of the thousands of freshmen taking part in the pilot, when he turned up at university for his first day at USTB.