AI Face Reading
Li Tiezhut, an "AI face reader" with a stall on a pedestrian street in a third-tier city. In essence, he uses an old tablet computer with an AI face reading app, scans people's faces, and then the AI spits out an analysis: something like "a developed career line but a winding love line," "a full nose indicating wealth, but the children's palace is slightly sunken," and so on.
Business is hit or miss. Those who believe it find it accurate, while those who don't scoff. Li Tiezhut is quite content, as the costs are low: a tablet, a power bank, and a bit of data traffic.
One day, a middle-aged man in a suit and tie came along. The man wore gold-rimmed glasses and his hair was slicked back, looking every bit the leader.
"Young man, cast a fortune, no, read my face." The man sat on a small stool, his tone carrying a hint of disdain, as if he were there to verify how unreliable this thing was.
Li Tiezhut skillfully opened the app and asked the man to face the camera. A series of complex code flashed on the screen, and after a few seconds, the AI began to analyze: "The facial contours indicate that this person had a difficult early life but a strong will, and achieved success in middle age. There is a hint of anxiety between the eyebrows, and he may face lawsuits in the near future. It is recommended to be cautious in words and deeds..."
As the man listened, his face gradually became serious.
"Is it accurate?" the man asked.
"The AI said it, I don't know," Li Tiezhut shrugged, telling the truth.
The man said nothing more, tossed a hundred yuan to Li Tiezhut, and turned to leave.
The next day, a black Audi stopped in front of Li Tiezhut's stall. The man from yesterday got out of the car, carrying a briefcase.
"Xiao Li, come with me," the man said expressionlessly.
Li Tiezhut was confused, but he still got into the car with the man. The car drove all the way to an imposing office building in the city center.
"This is the Municipal Big Data Center," the man introduced.
Li Tiezhut was even more bewildered.
The man took him to an office, where several people in uniform were sitting. "Xiao Li, cooperate with them in an investigation."
Over the next few hours, Li Tiezhut experienced the most absurd interrogation of his life. They asked him about the source of the AI face reading app's algorithm, whether he was instructed by someone to deliberately spread rumors and disrupt social order.
Li Tiezhut then realized that the man from yesterday was a leader in the city, who was recently being investigated for some economic issues. And the AI face reading app had accurately predicted that he would be "facing lawsuits."
"I'm just a stall owner, how would I know anything about algorithms!" Li Tiezhut cried.
"Your app leaked state secrets, do you understand?" a uniformed man shouted sternly.
Li Tiezhut completely collapsed. He just wanted to make some small money, how did he become a criminal who leaked state secrets?
Finally, Li Tiezhut was released, but the tablet computer was confiscated. His AI face reading stall was also shut down.
Several months later, Li Tiezhut found a job in an electronics factory, repeating the monotonous assembly line operations every day.
One day, he happened to see in the news that the Municipal Big Data Center had released a new government service app, one of whose functions was "AI Government Affairs Risk Assessment."
The app's promotional slogan read: "Using big data analysis to accurately predict potential risks, helping leading cadres to be honest and self-disciplined and serve the people."
Li Tiezhut silently turned off the TV. He suddenly understood that his confiscated tablet computer and AI face reading app might have just been "borrowed."
After getting off work that evening, Li Tiezhut opened his phone and searched for "AI face reading." He found that AI face reading apps had been upgraded and updated, and could now predict not only lawsuits, but also promotions and wealth.
However, behind these apps was written a line of small print: "This product is for entertainment purposes only and should not be used as a basis for any decisions."
Li Tiezhut smiled and turned off his phone. He thought that maybe one day, AI face reading would become a new tool of power. It's just that, at that time, it would predict not only faces, but also people's hearts. And people's hearts are the most difficult to predict.