Top China university stops using AI to spot absent-minded students after backlash

A top university in China’s eastern Jiangsu province has rolled back a controversial feature of its AI-powered classroom tracking system following fierce public backlash.

Students at Nanjing University were recently notified by the university that it would begin using its “smart classroom” system – upgraded over the summer – to record full attendance rates over a one-week period, Chinese media reported on Wednesday.

Outrage flared when leaked screenshots purportedly revealed the AI-powered...