Why China Has An Edge In the A.I. Arms Race

Detectives in China say they can catch criminals using artificial intelligence--and if you don't believe them, consider the case of the potato thief at the pop concert. Officials in the eastern Chinese city of Jiaxing in May used A.I.-powered facial-recognition technology to nab the alleged tater taker from a crowd of more than 20,000 people attending a performance by Hong Kong crooner Jacky Cheung. Moments after passing through the concert's security system, the unsuspecting suspect was busted: An algorithm matched his face with an image from a database of "most wanted" mug shots. Authorities seized the man on charges of stealing $17,000 worth of potatoes. The thief was the third fugitive to be arrested at a Jacky Cheung concert in as many months using software developed by Beijing's Megvii, among the many Chinese groups pioneering ways to combine A.I. and facial-recognition capabilities.