I wrapped up a lecture on China’s AI age the same day the nation celebrated the Communist Party’s centenary.
Nearly 600 million surveillance cameras scatter China’s streets today – that’s one camera for every 2.4 citizens. People’s cheers at the centenary celebrations are turned into heat maps. Cameras know best where the zest lies.
Today, the world gasps at China’s mobile payment ubiquity but the country has transformed itself yet again from a mobile society to a mobile-less society. Only a face is needed to make digital payments at many of the country’s retail terminals, synchronising biometric recognition with the world of finance.
My chief message to my students was this: the sophistication of China’s facial recognition technology is mesmerising, its omnipresence intimidating. And on its centenary, China is arguably more politically stable than any other time since opening up its economy to the world in 1978, thanks to AI.
Today, Chinese facial recognition companies are guardians of the Chinese Communist Party. Companies like SenseTime, Megvii and Yitu are breaking the human boundaries of intelligence and rational thinking through AI, governing not only human behaviours, but human consciousness. They appear on the US defence blacklist, and MIT’s "World Smartest Companies" list – both honourable designations in the eyes of China's government.
Facial recognition in China can not only root out unlawful behaviours quickly, but also assess sentiment through facial expressions.
Only a face is needed to make digital payments in many Chinese retail terminals
Why would anyone enjoy the prospects of having their minds read? One Chinese-American pop star, Gao Xiaosong, brought the idea home in an interview: “Because in the US, there is freedom; and in China, there is hope.”
Hope is permeating China, particularly as the country emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic. Chinese citizens watched the utter failures of democracies in restoring economic and social normalcy worldwide. A little sacrifice of personal privacy is petty compared to the glory of economic prosperity.
In 2021, China’s ambition is unbridled. Its leader, Xi Jinping, announced in March that between 2020 and 2035 China would double its GDP. After China’s economic output had already doubled over the past decade, Mr Xi aims to overwhelm his political predecessors – and the world – by quadrupling China’s GDP over 25 consecutive years under his watch. Quadruple!
The last time China had a vision this grand was when Deng Xiaoping decided in 1980 that China would quadruple its GDP in 20 years, following the historic initiation of the country's reform and opening-up (as it was dubbed in the West). While few Chinese thought it possible, the target was exceeded.
If Mr Xi’s ambition materialises, he will not only eclipse Mao’s stature, but epitomise the wisest rulers throughout Chinese civilisation. The economic achievement will crown China as the world’s largest economy, and consequently, the world’s largest military spender. China will be the world’s largest exporter, importer, creditor and standard builder. China will navigate the world’s oceans and seek to inhabit distant planets.
Hardly any other major country dares to challenge a vision this grand. With no clear vision, competition is an empty cry.
China’s global AI leadership is a quintessential part of this vision. But no matter how magnificent a tech giant's ambitions, it is by the grace of the CPC that they are made.
Chinese woke up this past weekend shocked. Didi, the most-used ride-hailing app in China was taken off of app stores due to regulatory investigations. Over 7.7 billion trips were taken via Didi in 2020. The newly New York Stock Exchange-listed company is now ill-fated.
Alibaba and Ant Group have reached comfortably across the full spectrum of Chinese lives. But recently, even they became too big and too challenging for the state. Alibaba faced a historic $2.8bn antitrust fine. Ant Group’s ongoing restructuring rewinds its massive market presence and FinTech ambitions.
Meanwhile, Tencent established a RMB 50bn ($7.7bn) social innovation fund in April. It announced "tech for good" part of its core development strategy. Some believe the strategy is a “gift” to the state in order to appease the Party.
Chinese technology must advance the interests of the state. It is difficult to imagine any disloyalty. China’s AI, therefore, will continue to solidify the government's stability, the CPC's omnipotence and China’s flywheel of prosperity.
The ultimate technology paradox in China is that a frontier technology must serve Marxist ideology. Chinese AI technologies may well power the rule of humanity. But this AI, in turn, must be ruled by the ruling Party.
When the league of SenseTime and Megvii grow to become global AI superpowers, the CPC will ultimately review their power to challenge it.
Looking forward, it is unrealistic to conceive any public protests against the "AI state", except those who possess the same technological power. If one can design an AI system to serve the CPC, it is plausible to believe that they are fully capable of designing a system to resist it, as and when they need to.
For now, let’s celebrate China’s centennial progress towards economic post-modernity, and acknowledge the CPC's role in it.
Shirley Yu is a political economist and nonresident fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government
Company%20profile
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RESULTS
6.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh82.500 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Meshakel, Royston Ffrench (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
7.05pm Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
Winner Gervais, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner Global Heat, Pat Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Firnas, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.50pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (D) 1,600m
Winner Rebel’s Romance, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm Dubai Trophy (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (T) 1,200m
Winner Topper Bill, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,400m
Winner Wasim, Mickael Barzalona, Ismail Mohammed.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
Premier League results
Saturday
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Arsenal 1
Bournemouth 0 Manchester City 1
Brighton & Hove Albion 1 Huddersfield Town 0
Burnley 1 Crystal Palace 3
Manchester United 3 Southampton 2
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Cardiff City 0
West Ham United 2 Newcastle United 0
Sunday
Watford 2 Leicester City 1
Fulham 1 Chelsea 2
Everton 0 Liverpool 0
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE Premiership
Results
Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 43-27 Dubai Hurricanes
Final
Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, Friday, March 29, 5pm at The Sevens, Dubai
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16 second leg
Paris Saint-Germain (1) v Borussia Dortmund (2)
Kick-off: Midnight, Thursday, March 12
Stadium: Parc des Princes
Live: On beIN Sports HD
More on animal trafficking
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The years Ramadan fell in May
Profile of Bitex UAE
Date of launch: November 2018
Founder: Monark Modi
Based: Business Bay, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: Eight employees
Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Tips for avoiding trouble online
- Do not post incorrect information and beware of fake news
- Do not publish or repost racist or hate speech, yours or anyone else’s
- Do not incite violence and be careful how to phrase what you want to say
- Do not defame anyone. Have a difference of opinion with someone? Don’t attack them on social media
- Do not forget your children and monitor their online activities
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Fighter profiles
Gabrieli Pessanha (Brazil)
Reigning Abu Dhabi World Pro champion in the 95kg division, virtually unbeatable in her weight class. Known for her pressure game but also dangerous with her back on the mat.
Nathiely de Jesus, 23, (Brazil)
Two-time World Pro champion renowned for her aggressive game. She is tall and most feared by her opponents for both her triangles and arm-bar attacks.
Thamara Ferreira, 24, (Brazil)
Since her brown belt days, Ferreira has been dominating the 70kg, in both the World Pro and the Grand Slams. With a very aggressive game.
Samantha Cook, 32, (Britain)
One of the biggest talents coming out of Europe in recent times. She is known for a highly technical game and bringing her A game to the table as always.
Kendall Reusing, 22, (USA)
Another young gun ready to explode in the big leagues. The Californian resident is a powerhouse in the -95kg division. Her duels with Pessanha have been highlights in the Grand Slams.
Martina Gramenius, 32, (Sweden)
Already a two-time Grand Slam champion in the current season. Gramenius won golds in the 70kg, in both in Moscow and Tokyo, to earn a spot in the inaugural Queen of Mats.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
Ian Rush 346
Roger Hunt 285
Mohamed Salah 250
Gordon Hodgson 241
Billy Liddell 228
