iFLyTek develops voice recognition for law enforcement; moves forward with AI innovation despite U.S. ban

Chinese startup iFlyTek boasts it has created for law enforcement AI technology that leverages voice biometrics to identify a person, writes Nikkei Asian Review. In upcoming years, iFlyTek aims to use it in fighting phone scams after rolling out the voiceprint recognition system across the country.

iFlyTek uses AI to analyze big data to improve voice identification accuracy.

“Because recordings are important evidence when it comes to phone scams, demand for voice recognition is growing,” said Fu Zhonghua, the deputy head of iFlyTek’s research center.

Fu further states that the technology is aimed to be used in law enforcement and phone monitoring to identify scammers’ voiceprints and hang up, but it can also be successfully implemented in finance. Government-owned China Construction Bank is already using voiceprints to verify customer identity alongside passwords.

The system has been undergoing testing since 2018, and Fu expects nationwide deployment in two to three years.

In 2018, iFlyTek was granted 276 million yuan ($39.4 million) in government funding, accounting for some 3 percent of revenue.

China is currently the main growth driver after iFlyTek was included on the U.S. Entity List which blocks the entities from buying American products, having them in their supply chain, or maintaining relations with U.S. companies, following accusations that it was involved with 27 other Chinese companies and the government in ill treatment of Muslim minorities.

Despite the U.S. situation, iFlyTek is moving forward with research and development plans, reports South China Morning Post. Based on shared statistics, the company’s AI applications are attracting increased interest.

iFlyTek’s smart doctor assistant has been deployed in more than 1,200 community health centers in nearly 100 counties across China. The smart doctor assistant gives diagnosis advice 200,000 times a day. iFlyTek’s AI tech for smart education has improved education in 35,000 schools across the country, with more than 100 million students and teachers using its services and products. Approximately 5,000 courts in China leverages its technologies to compare evidence and assist with points of law in cases.

Article Topics

artificial intelligence  |  biometric identification  |  criminal ID  |  identity verification  |  iFlyTek  |  police  |  voice biometrics  |  voice recognition  |  voiceprints