South Korea will test an AI-powered facial recognition system to track persons infected with COVID-19.

According to Reuters, the pilot project will begin next year in January in Bucheon, a city in between the nation's capital Seoul and Incheon. 

Based on a business plan seen by Reuters, the project's system will analyse footage from over 10,000 CCTV cameras and track the movement of COVID-19 patients, as well as their close contacts.

The national government has infused 1.6 billion won ($1.3 million) into the project, while Bucheon added 500 million won more from the city's coffers.  

WHY IT MATTERS

The news report noted that the project will help reduce the strain on overworked tracing teams. As the system can simultaneously track up to ten people in five to ten minutes, it can cut the time spent on manual work which usually takes around half an hour or more per person traced. Bucheon mayor Jang Deog-cheon was also quoted as saying that facial recognition tech will enable faster tracing.

Despite employing an "aggressive, high-tech" contact tracing system that collects credit card records, cellphone location, and CCTV footage, among other personal information, South Korea still relies on epidemiological investigators who usually work a 24-hour shift, the report emphasised.

A city official addressed concerns around invasion of privacy by stating that the system censors non-target individuals; it only traces confirmed patients, abiding with provisions under the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the use of the technology remains lawful as long as it is used within the domain of the said law.

THE LARGER TREND

The Bucheon system is not new. Similar facial recognition tech for tracking COVID-19 patients have been recently rolled out or experimented with in China and Japan, the Reuters article said.

In Thailand, ​​the Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital has installed NEC Thailand's contactless, face recognition system for its registration process. The system covers the hospital's patient registration counters and other touchpoints to facilitate a faster and more accurate registration process, while reducing in-person exposure to COVID-19.