“Chinese construction firms using AI to monitor workers’ safety … but also to spot ‘loiterers’”, 6 July 2020

Artificial intelligence is being used to monitor workers’ behaviour on construction sites across China, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The technology, developed by the Institute of Automation in Beijing, has “made construction sites transparent” with significant improvements in safety and productivity, according to a report published on the academy’s website…

The report said the AI was hooked up to CCTV cameras and was able to tell whether an employee was doing their job or “loitering”…

The technology also sends alerts when accidents or safety risks, such as a worker forgetting to wear a helmet or entering an restricted area, are identified, and also tracks people involved in forbidden activities such as fighting.

The system can track every employee on a site using “biological identification” methods such as facial recognition technology.

It was linked to a database with detailed staff information to achieve 24-hours-a-day, “disturbance-free” surveillance, said the report…

Similar AI surveillance systems have been used in some countries, including the United States, for at least three years, according to media reports…

China National Petroleum Corporation is a major user of the AI surveillance system, deploying the technology in dozens of project construction sites across the nation, according to the academy.

CNPC, which is the world’s third-largest oil company, did not immediately respond to a request for comment…

[Also referred to Smartvid.io]