Following in the footsteps of the U.K. and U.S., China is applying artificial intelligence technology to airport security. Internet giant Baidu Inc. yesterday singed a strategic cooperation agreement with Beijing Capital International Airport to jointly develop a facial recognition system for verifying the identity of passengers.
Once in place, airline passengers will be able to scan their faces to facilitate checking-in, eliminating the need for boarding passes. The system is now undergoing testing, and is being used for staff admission to secure areas and data monitoring.
Two month ago, Baidu formed a cooperation agreement with China Southern Airlines and launched China’s first facial recognition system for airports. Nanyang city’s Jiangying Airport has applied the system for checking-in and security checking, with cameras verifying passengers’ faces against their passport photos.
The technology is being accepted globally. This March, British Airways introduced the world’s first facial recognition-based border control technology for identify passengers at boarding gates in London’s Heathrow Airport. The U.S. and Japan are also installing similar systems in their airports.
In addition, Baidu has deployed an AI robot at Beijing Capital International Airport to provide travelers with airline and airport information. Baidu and Capital Airport will also cooperate in the fields of indoor navigation, smart car parking, AI customer services, passenger information management and service robots. They will together develop smart businesses and improve the airport’s management by leveraging Baidu’s AI, big data and cloud computing technologies.
Source: China Money Network
