Dragon Eye Can Recognize Face Among Billions: Crime Fighter Or Big Brother?

A Shanghai company has claimed to have developed an AI that can recognize a face among at least two billion people in a matter of seconds. Yitu's AI algorithm Dragon Eye not only recognizes faces but with a network of connected cameras can plot the movement of their owners. "Our machines can very easily recognize you among at least two billion people in a matter of seconds," says chief executive and Yitu co-founder Zhu Long, "which would have been unbelievable just three years ago." As of now, the Dragon Eye platform has around 1.8 billion photographs to work with: those logged in China's national database and those who have ever entered through its borders. Talking to the South China Morning Post, Zhu said the objective of the algorithm is to make the world a much safer place by curbing crime.