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AI Mistakes Ad On a Bus For an Actual CEO, Then Publicly Shames Them For 'Jaywalking' (scmp.com)

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the virtual-realities dept.

An anonymous reader quotes the South China Morning Post: Since last year, many Chinese cities have cracked down on jaywalking by investing in facial recognition systems and AI-powered surveillance cameras. Jaywalkers are identified and shamed by displaying their photographs on large public screens... Developments are also underway to engage the country's mobile network operators and social media platforms, such as Tencent Holdings' WeChat and Sina Weibo, to establish a system in which offenders will receive personal text messages as soon as they are caught violating traffic rules....

Making a compelling case for change is the recent experience of Dong Mingzhu, chairwoman of China's biggest maker of air conditioners Gree Electric Appliances, who found her face splashed on a huge screen erected along a street in the port city of Ningbo... That artificial intelligence-backed surveillance system, however, erred in capturing Dong's image on Wednesday from an advertisement on the side of a moving bus. The traffic police in Ningbo, a city in the eastern coastal province of Zhejiang, were quick to recognise the mistake, writing in a post on microblog Sina Weibo on Wednesday that it had deleted the snapshot. It also said the surveillance system would be completely upgraded to cut incidents of false recognition in future.
The article says the mistakenly-accused CEO's company later thanked the traffic police for their hard work, and "called on people to obey traffic rules to keep the streets safe."

"The Chinese government is currently working to combine the operations of more than 170 million public security cameras to strengthen its surveillance network's ability to track and monitor the country's 1.4 billion citizens. Research firm IHS Markit has estimated that the number of surveillance cameras in China could reach 450 million by 2020."

12 of 154 comments (clear)

  1. It's so obvious by Krishnoid · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The article says the mistakenly-accused CEO's company later thanked the traffic police for their hard work, and "called on people to obey traffic rules to keep the streets safe."

    And all along I thought we couldn't have it both ways.

    1. Re:It's so obvious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      He gazed up at the enormous face. Forty years it had taken him to learn what kind of smile was hidden beneath the dark moustache. O cruel, needless misunderstanding! O stubborn, self-willed exile from the loving breast! Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother

    2. Re:It's so obvious by Askmum · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You know that you're in a police state when you have to thank the police for their good work and in the process add a totally mindless "obey the rules" to it too.

    3. Re:It's so obvious by hai_Priesty · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And also thanking the police state for making you "right" again quickly after they wronged you with no due process.

  2. D'uh by gijoel · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The article says the mistakenly-accused CEO's company later thanked the traffic police for their hard work, and "called on people to obey traffic rules to keep the streets safe."

    Cause your going to publicly chew out petty public officials for their half arse algorithms in China, are you? We've all been worried about 1984, when we should have been worried about Brazil.

  3. Re:Ratio of cameras to citizens by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Right now there is one camera for every ten citizens.

    I was in Shanghai last month, and I saw a camera about every 100m or so. That might have been one for every 10 pedestrians on the street, but no where near one for every 10 people in the city.

    Anyway, I always though that China dealt with jaywalkers by making it legal for motorists to run over them. Even in a marked cross walk, you are often risking your life in Shanghai traffic.

  4. Jaywalking ? by dargaud · · Score: 4, Interesting

    In Europe we simply call it crossing the road, there's not even a word for it in the languages I know. Why do americans and chinese criminalise jaywalking ? WTF do they think is wrong with simply crossing a road when no cars are present ? I don't get it.

    --
    Non-Linux Penguins ?
    1. Re:Jaywalking ? by Kjella · · Score: 4, Informative

      In Europe we simply call it crossing the road, there's not even a word for it in the languages I know. Why do americans and chinese criminalise jaywalking ? WTF do they think is wrong with simply crossing a road when no cars are present ? I don't get it.

      Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Serbia and Slovakia has rules against jaywalking too. But at least in Germany the fine is really symbolic, like 5-10 euro where the cop has to watch you cross and be annoyed enough about it to fine you. It's a cultural thing about rules, you wouldn't ignore a red light in a car because the coast is clear so why is the red man different? If it's there, use it. If it's there, wait for your turn. Don't set a bad example for the kids scurrying across the street at the smallest gap in traffic. It's also not so symbolic when it comes to division of fault and whether something was just an accident or reckless driving, that you were jaywalking counts against you even though the driver has a general obligation - a green light is not a license to ram. Though I prefer our system where we focus on saying it's allowed and focus on making everyone cross safely instead. But both systems works quite well.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    2. Re:Jaywalking ? by Hognoxious · · Score: 4, Funny

      you wouldn't ignore a red light in a car because the coast is clear

      Ever been to France or Italy? They ignore them whether the coast is clear or not.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  5. Good Lord by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You'd think the AI would have figured out no one has a 5-foot-tall head?

    If it's that primitive, what's to stop Chinese citizens to walk around with photographs of Mao Zedong hanging in front of their faces? It might be amusing to see the reputation score of the late, great Chairman sinking into the toilet.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
    1. Re:Good Lord by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Funny

      Just carry a life size poster of chairman Xi Jinping with you wherever you go. Of course only to show your support and loyalty to The Party.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  6. It is not funny to make fun of Xi by aberglas · · Score: 4, Insightful

    No Chinese would dream of that. Probably would not send them in jail, but would get the marked down badly in social credit. And maybe a fine. Certainly expulsion from the Communist party if a member.

    China is not a joke. That is why people self-censor very carefully. The risks and penalties are everywhere.