Beijing takes the lead in facial recognition

Sept 2016: University lecturer develops a “face reader” to identify if his pupils are bored or stimulated

April 2017: Beijing Marathon bosses use facial recognition to track down cheats entering race at midway point

July 2017: China declares aim to become “world leader in AI by 2030”

Feb 2018: Police equipped with sunglasses with facial recognition technology to spot suspects

April 2018: Chinese firm Sensetime receives $600m investment from retailer Alibaba, smashing the AI funding record

April 2018: Missing Chinese man found after facial recognition firm works with local government