China tests emotion-detection AI on Uyghurs

A software engineer described testing an emotion-recognition system on Uyghurs at police stations in Xinjiang, according to BBC.

According to the engineer, the system uses artificial intelligence and facial recognition to capture a person’s emotions. The technology resembles a lie detector, but with “much more advanced” capabilities.

Video cameras were placed at a distance of three metres from the subjects. The test subjects were placed in special chairs, where their wrists and ankles were secured with metal restraints, an eyewitness said.

The engineer demonstrated to journalists and human rights advocates five photographs of detained Uyghurs and noted that the recognition system is intended for a “preliminary trial without any reliable evidence.”

“The Chinese government uses Uyghurs as test subjects for various experiments, just as rats are used in laboratories,” he said.

According to the programmer, the system detects and analyzes even subtle changes in facial expressions. The software creates a pie chart, with red segments representing negative emotions.

China’s embassy in London did not respond to journalists’ questions about the use of emotion-recognition software in the province, but said it respects minority rights.

“Political, economic and social rights and the freedom of religious belief for all ethnic groups in Xinjiang are fully guaranteed,” the Chinese diplomatic ministry said.

In March 2021, Facebook blocked a group of Chinese hackers who used the platform to surveil Uyghur journalists and activists.

In December 2020, Chinese IT company Alibaba acknowledged that it had developed facial-recognition technology to identify the Uyghur minority in China.

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