Face Value: Future of Facial Recognition in US and China

Facial recognition is a multi-billion dollar business in China, not to mention a key component of the government's sprawling surveillance ambitions. The New York Times reported in late July that investors collectively poured more than a billion dollars into the Chinese companies SenseTime and Megvii, both of which are leaders in facial recognition and artificial intelligence (AI), adding to their already sky-high valuations. SenseTime is "the world's highest-valued AI company," according to TechCrunch. It has received investments from Alibaba, Qualcomm, and other high-profile names, and has partnerships with the Chinese government and with globally recognized brands. Megvii is looking to expand its business into Southeast Asian countries Thailand and Malaysia, as well.