FP StaffJul 11, 2022 11:07:44 IST
Imagine living in a world where a computer can read your mind and measure how loyal are you. Well, people in China and other regions of the world occupied by China, may soon be subjected to such systems.
A group of researchers at China’s Comprehensive National Science Center in Hefei claimed to have developed “mind-reading” artificial intelligence systems capable of reading one’s thoughts. Furthermore, in a now-deleted video, they also claim that the system can be used to measure citizens’ loyalty to the CCP or the Chinese Communist Party.
Although it isn’t clear exactly how the system “measures loyalty” or reads minds, the machine, researchers claimed, observes the reactions, facial expressions and brain waves of an individual who has been subjected to “thought and political education” and analyses them.
The results can then be used to “further solidify their confidence and determination to be grateful to the party, listen to the party, and follow the party,” the researchers said, per the report. The post was taken down following a public outcry from Chinese citizens.
China is notorious for snooping around on its own citizenry, and the people in areas that it occupies, be it Taiwan or Hong Kong. China’s Social Credit System is a national scoring system that determines how good a citizen an individual is.
This rating system is used to determine from whether an individual should be given a loan, to whether they should be allowed to buy train or flight tickets.
The Chinese government has also come under fire for using AI and facial recognition systems to track and control Uighurs, an ethnic minority group detained by the Chinese Communist Party in “reeducation” camps.
Last year, the US Department of Commerce placed sanctions on a number of Chinese institutes for developing biotechnology including brain-control weaponry, as per a report by Business Insider.
While most tech companies from around the world that are involved in the development of AI and ML systems are excited about the possibilities that these technologies bring, some of these tech companies, privacy activists and whistleblowers are worried by China’s usage of AI & ML systems against its own citizenry, and what it would entail for the rest of the world.
