China Upgrades Surveillance Network With AI Predictive Policing as Tenders Run From Rmb1mn to Rmb10mn
Updated
Updated · Financial Times · May 27
China Upgrades Surveillance Network With AI Predictive Policing as Tenders Run From Rmb1mn to Rmb10mn
5 articles · Updated · Financial Times · May 27
China is rolling out AI-powered cameras and software across local police networks, giving authorities faster tools to track people, analyze behavior and issue real-time alerts for potential unrest or abnormal activity.
The upgrade follows years of strain on an aging system and a 2024 push from public security minister Wang Xiaohong after sporadic street violence exposed limits in existing surveillance capabilities.
New systems from suppliers including Hikvision and Huawei can search footage with text prompts, identify features such as clothing or posture, and process video on-device through more powerful chips instead of relying on manual review.
Procurement documents show early deployments in dense urban areas and around sensitive sites; one Sichuan project budgeted Rmb900,000 for 175 cameras, while 12 tenders reviewed ranged from under Rmb1mn to about Rmb10mn per district.
The spending is modest compared with the roughly Rmb300bn first buildout in the mid-2010s, suggesting China is layering AI onto existing infrastructure even as rights groups warn it expands state monitoring at scale.
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