China is upgrading its nationwide surveillance infrastructure with artificial intelligence (AI) and large language model (LLM)-powered systems. This will allow Chinese authorities to automate monitoring, analyse behaviour patterns and identify potential risks in real time. The changes mark a shift from older reactive surveillance systems toward AI-assisted predictive policing across parts of the country.According to an analysis of procurement documents and interviews reviewed by the Financial Times, local governments in China are deploying new surveillance technologies capable of interpreting video feeds, identifying unusual behaviour, and retrieving footage via text prompts rather than manual searches.The developments come in a country where platforms such as Meta-owned Facebook and WhatsApp, along with several foreign social media services, remain restricted under China’s internet controls, which is often referred to as the “Great Firewall”.How AI and LLMs are reshaping China’s surveillance systemsChinese technology companies, including Huawei and Hikvision, have introduced surveillance products integrated with computer vision and large language models over the past two years. These systems reportedly allow operators to search footage using written prompts such as “a woman wearing a red hat” and automatically retrieve relevant videos.“The police no longer have to manually review footage. They can feed the system a text prompt, and it finds the footage,” a Hikvision executive told the Financial Times. Unlike earlier surveillance systems that required manual image matching, newer AI-powered tools can process natural-language requests and analyse footage directly on devices, powered by upgraded semiconductors.Authorities are also deploying systems trained to detect behaviours including crowd gatherings, erratic driving, unauthorised entry and individuals lingering near bridges for long periods.“China’s old surveillance system is reactive. It is not good at divining and understanding the intentions of people not under explicit surveillance,” said Minxin Pei, an expert in Chinese governance and surveillance systems at Claremont McKenna College.The surveillance upgrade follows a broader push by Chinese authorities toward predictive policing after incidents of random street violence in recent years.The report claims that China’s public security minister Wang Xiaohong issued a directive in 2024 encouraging police departments to integrate more advanced AI tools into surveillance networks.One procurement document cited in the report showed authorities in Yaodu town, Sichuan province, allocating over $132,000 for 175 AI-enabled high-definition cameras capable of analysing abnormal behaviour and triggering alerts. Another police tender in Datong reportedly included AI cameras trained to identify features such as posture, clothing and gender.Human rights organisations have raised concerns about the increasing use of generative AI and computer vision in state monitoring systems.“The philosophy behind China’s surveillance system is becoming more comprehensive,” said Maya Wang, an analyst at Human Rights Watch.China already operates an extensive surveillance network that authorities have previously used in regions such as Xinjiang, where monitoring systems have been linked to the surveillance of Uyghur minorities.Analysts cited in the report estimated Chinese authorities spent over $44 billion on the original generation of surveillance infrastructure during the mid-2010s.Current upgrades appear focused on integrating AI functions into existing camera networks rather than replacing entire systems. Budgets across the reviewed tenders reportedly ranged from $150,000 to $1.5 million per district.Industry executives told FT that some local governments are avoiding full camera replacements because AI-enabled systems can cost significantly more than older hardware.Instead, authorities are reportedly replacing intermediary servers with “AI PCs” that process video locally, reducing reliance on cloud computing infrastructure and enabling faster analysis.Experts said processing data closer to the point of capture allows authorities to receive alerts more quickly while reducing operational delays.A Hikvision salesperson told FT that authorities in cities such as Hangzhou, where some of the upgraded systems have already been deployed, saw immediate operational changes. “It saves a lot of time,” the salesperson added.