It is difficult not to think of China when we speak of artificial intelligence for being a pioneer in this technology; also because the most important companies in this sector are in the Asian giant. The last to jump on the bandwagon to take advantage of AI has been a Singapore casino, the first “artificial intelligence casino” where the cameras will detect suspicious behavior. Behind the project is the company SenseTime, one of AI's benchmarks around the world.
The Resorts World Sentosa of the Genting company is the space that has opted to include artificial intelligence throughout the casino complex. A story similar to the one we saw in Oceans Thirteen, the third installment of the most famous thieves in cinema. Hopefully in this case, no group like George Clooney will be able to outwit the system.
For now, everything seems to be under control. One of the first objectives of this project is to create a surveillance system that would control the people who are inside the enclosure. Through a camera, each casino customer can also be identified.
Artificial intelligence as a security tool
“The big focus is preventing fraud,” a former SenseTime employee told the Financial Times. For example, to ensure that casino staff do not steal chips or plan illicit acts. In addition to recognizing the people who are in the casino, artificial intelligence would allow to record and analyze the gestures of the hands of the players and employees.
If a player is recognized through the casino cameras, they can be blacklisted in the event that they have tried to steal or have committed any irregularity. In addition, by analyzing their behavior they will be able to better discover their tastes and, with this, offer them better focused services and promotions .
This is not everything. The SenseTime project with the Singapore casino also included the option to replace human dealers with machines . However, the idea is in the early stages and at the moment does not seem to have enough support to be implemented in a short period of time.
¿ What does the law say?
The arrival of artificial intelligence in casinos, at least in such a comprehensive way, represents a challenge at the legal level . Even more so if one day this project crosses borders and reaches European territory. At the moment, a group of Macau officials consulted by the Financial Times explained that artificial intelligence should only be used for security purposes. However, in the case of Singapore there are no specific laws that regulate the use of this technology in casinos. If it were to go live right now, the only way to regulate it would be with the privacy laws that already exist.
The artificial intelligence casino project is delayed for technical reasons
The British newspaper has spoken with lawyer Shaun Leong, who claimed that casinos could use artificial intelligence or machine learning to monitor customers who are gambling. “I think it is quite an interesting use, the legalities of which are perhaps still being explored,” he said.
SenseTime, for its part, stressed that privacy and security is one of its priorities and that it will only use data that has been explicitly authorized by customers. The truthfulness of the statements cannot be confirmed because, for now, the project is delayed . No date on the horizon. Two former employees who spoke to the Financial Times stated that there have been a number of technical problems related to the cameras because they did not provide high-quality images , especially in dimly lit areas such as car parks. Another challenge was that the casino employees wear the same uniform and it was sometimes difficult to distinguish them.
The company behind the 'artificial intelligence casino'
It may take some time to see dealers in the form of robots but SenseTime is unlikely to want to put this project aside. It would be another big step for one of the most important companies in the artificial intelligence sector. The Chinese company, founded in 2014, was baptized as one of the four “AI Dragons” of China. Megvii, CloudWalk and Yitu are the other three companies that are leaders in the sector.
SenseTime sells its technology and its flagship product to companies and governments: cameras with artificial intelligence that monitor the streets of cities 24 hours a day. Both on the streets and in shopping centers, which They use to control and track customers or predict crowds. And everything indicates that the company will increase its presence, after receiving regulatory approval to be listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
SenseTime has obtained permission to go public
The company's track record has not been bad at all so far. In 2018 it raised more than 2 billion dollars and has raised about 5.2 billion dollars in investment funds. However, the company has suffered a considerable amount of losses, not least because it spends a large part of its capital on research and development; about 780 million dollars were dedicated to this end between 2018 and 2020, recalled TechCrunch in an article.
For now, SenseTime's commitment goes through its smart city projects; in June of this year 199 cities have implemented the company's technology. The other source of income is the line called Smart Business, which includes shopping centers or residential properties.
The company's challenges go beyond carrying out its “artificial intelligence casino” project; the distrust of the other side of the pond for the control of the population also plays an important role. through this technology. A tool widely used in China that in Europe does not have the same place, for now. On the other hand, the United States added SenseTime to a commercial blacklist due to national security concerns. The Chinese company alluded that this decision affects only the Beijing offices, but not the other regions such as Shenzhen.
Artificial intelligence in online casinos
It may take time to see how artificial intelligence has been integrated into a physical casino, although the experience in online games has been long. It is used more and more frequently in online gambling and casinos. The main objective, like the SenseTime project, is to increase security ; for example, detecting multiple accounts. This practice is used to manipulate the game and the technology detects if there are several connections from the same IP address. If bad practice is recognized, this same IP could be blocked at the online casino.
Artificial intelligence can also be used to prevent abuse of transfers and other suspicious movements that may even be related to money laundering. If used correctly, it can be a great ally to ensure the security of player accounts.
