AI-powered Uyghur emotion detection system prompts rights concerns

An AI-powered camera system that detects the emotions of Uyghurs is being tested by Chinese authorities, prompting concerns about state surveillance and loss of human rights and civil liberties. 

The allegations were made to the BBC on condition of anonymity by a software engineer who says he installed the system, which can detect and analyse minor changes in expressions.

The engineer told the BBC that the cameras were placed 3 meters, a little less than 10 feet, away from the subjects. He said subjects are put in 'restraint chairs,' where their wrists and ankles are locked in place by metal restraints. 

'The Chinese government use Uyghurs as test subjects for various experiments just like rats are used in laboratories', the software engineer said. He went on to allege the system is used for 'pre-judgment without any credible evidence.' Most people, he says, are categorised as 'anxious' or 'scared'.

Home to 12 million ethnic minority Uyghurs, Xinjiang residents are under more or less constant surveillance. Human Rights Watch had earlier published a report detailing a policy of torture, disappearances, and cultural erasure in the province.