Endless queues and long waits at the ticket inspection desks at China’s major train stations were signature of the Spring Festival travel rush before this year. Every year, as the country’s biggest national holiday unfolded a huge flow of travelers would leave staff at the check-in desks facing a dilemma.
But with the installment (安装) of artificial intelligence (AI) in dozens of train stations this year, including a facial recognition system which is able to process passenger identification within five seconds and therefore speed up the waiting process, busy scenes started to become something of the past.
When a passenger approaches the camera inside the facial recognition system at the station, it scans his face and then quickly compares it with the photograph shown on his identification card in real time. If the information matches, the barrier gates will open and allow the passenger to go through.
Such use of facial recognition technology is in line with discussions heard at the recent two sessions meeting, a key annual political event, which focused on the widespread application of a security network named Tianwang (“Sky Net” in English) currently being used by China’s public security department.
The network, according to reports by the People Daily, has the potential to recognize the facial features of anyone in the world and match them on the spot with photographs on a database of criminal suspects. In fact, it can analyze photographic identity so quickly that it can scan every single Chinese face on the planet in just one second, and it would only take two seconds to scan every face in the world, with an accuracy rate of up to 99.8 percent.
Those are just two examples that highlight the development of Chinese visual AI technology, which industry insiders predict could contribute to powerful growth in the global technology sector this year.
12. What’s the author’s purpose in writing the first paragraph?
A.To introduce the following topic of the passage. |
B.To describe the Spring Festival. |
C.To inform readers of the development of China. |
D.To explain the dilemma of the staff. |
13. What’s the solution to the Spring Festival travel rush?
A.Using artificial intelligence. |
B.Opening more barrier gates. |
C.Limiting the number of passengers. |
D.Increasing more staff at the check-in desks. |
14. What can we know about facial recognition technology?
A.Its application leads to a heated discussion. |
B.Its application is useless to policemen. |
C.Its operating speed is not yet high enough. |
D.Its accuracy rate is very high. |
15. What’s the author’s attitude towards Chinese visual AI technology?
A.Depressed. | B.Positive. |
C.Doubtful. | D.Indifferent. |