5/5 (2)

Autonomous vehicle is no longer a new topic for the public since it already has developed for more than decades. However, have you ever imagined your parcels could be transported by self-driving trucks? This is what SF Express and Plus are trying to do in its pilot test. 

SF Express is often referred to as “China’s UPS” as it operates more than 43,000 trucks over 100,000 different routes both domestically and internationally (Anthony, 2022). While Plus is regarded as a world leader in self-driving truck technology (Plus, 2021). SF Express officially selects Plus for China’s first commercial freight pilot, and they started the pilot test in 2020 to demonstrate how self-driving trucks could be used in logistics industry in order to improve operations. The pilot test was conducted in two routes, and the first one is 900-mile long, while the second has 1,000 miles, which are both round trips (Anthony, 2022). 

The collaboration between the two giants really gives the public the impression that the working efficiency in logistics industry would be significantly enhanced and even the rule of game could be changed, since the data of pilot test indicate 20 percent fuel savings, and the operators have reported improved peace of mind and enjoyed comfortable operations (Chinadaily, 2021). Usually, the trip takes two or three days, drivers reported that they feel less stress behind the wheel with PlusDrive, since they only had to supervise the system instead of driving for such a long time (Plus, 2021). Besides, according to Plus, the pilot test also shows improved safety and lower carbon emissions (Anthony, 2022), which are beneficial for improving the sustainability of logistics industry. 

Although the collaboration results are impressive, concerns are still involved in self-driving trucks, such as safety of drivers and pedestrians, and moral problems related to AI decision-making. It would be interesting to have more information about the tests and further collaboration between companies in logistics to see what can be really changed in our daily life and associated impacts that are beneficial for the society. 

References

• Anthony, C. (2022, March 9). SF Express Selects Plus for China’s first commercial freight pilot using supervised autonomous trucks. AutoVision News. Retrieved October 7, 2022, from https://www.autovision-news.com/mobility/sf-express-plus-china-freight-pilot/ 
• Chinadaily. (2021). SF Express, Plus to cooperate on autonomous freight pilot program. http://ex.chinadaily.com.cn/exchange/partners/45/rss/channel/www/columns/6h4i91/stories/WS605dd16aa31024ad0bab1ece.html. Retrieved October 7, 2022. 
• Plus. (2021). SF Express selects self-driving truck company plus for China’s first commercial freight pilot using supervised autonomous trucks. Plus. Retrieved October 7, 2022, from https://plus.ai/press-release/SF-Express-Selects-Self-Driving-Truck-Company-Plus-for-China-First-Commercial-Freight-Pilot-Using-Supervised-Autonomous-Trucks.html 

5/5 (2)

As one of the leaders in advanced technology product market, Tencent has developed its cloud computing service since 2010 and the service became available for users in 2013. The cloud system of the company contains numerous functions that are leading the future trend, including AI, big data, computing, data warehouse, as well as SaaS (Tencent, 2022). The company manages to provide customers with solutions that can really help them to achieve success in society and business market. 

What is new about this cloud service is the introduction of AI face recognition to set restriction on children and teenagers gaming. Previously, gamers were required to upload their real name and ID number to verify whether they are adults in order to prevent children from gaming a long time (Hollister, 2019). However, children still have some ways to find the loophole of the verification system, as they are able to upload their parents’ personal identification or personal data from someone else. To tackle this tricky problem, Tencent introduced face recognition supported by AI to plug the hole (May & Chien, 2021). Basically, the mobile gaming applications will request the authorization to use the camera, and users will be monitored by their phone cameras while playing mobile phone games. If children play mobile games after 10 p.m. according to the Chinese regulations, they will be caught by the system with face recognition that can determine whether the players are children or adults, and those children will be automatically kicked out by the system (Hollister, 2021). 

Despite the regulation and data privacy, it is interesting to see how AI face recognition can be applied in mobile games monitoring. Normally people would think about using face recognition to replace the key for opening the door or to walk through the metro lock machine without checking by smart cards. Of course, there would be pros and cons to apply face application in this case, but it literally goes beyond my imagination and might give you some insights how these advanced technologies could be applied in our life.

References

• Hollister, S. (2021, July 9). How Tencent’s sweeping new facial scans will catch Chinese kids playing past curfew. The Verge. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/9/22567029/tencent-china-facial-recognition-honor-of-kings-game-for-peace 
• May, T., & Chien, A. C. (2021, July 8). Game over: Chinese company deploys facial recognition to limit youths’ play. The New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/08/business/video-game-facial-recognition-tencent.html 
• Tencent. (2022). Tencent Cloud. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://www.tencentcloud.com/