Why do China monitor their students?

Chinese primary school students are now having to wear headbands in class.

This is nothing new for Chinese students. Some wear uniforms with tracking chips, and there are a range of robots in class that monitor student engagement.

The bands measure neural signals. These are then translated by an AI algorithm in real time to measure a student's focus. A report is then sent to the teacher and parents so they can monitor the student's attention levels and progress.

The data is also collected to allow academics and policy makers to better understand how children learn.

It would be hard to imagine support for this in the west given the current climate around data privacy. However, issues like this raise the question: do we care too much about data privacy?

Given that large and informative data sets are needed to use AI effectively could our data concerns see the west falling behind China in AI development.

This programme will ultimately allow Chinese policy makers and teachers to better understand how students learn, leading to more sophisticated and tailored teaching and better educational outcomes for students.

Do we care too much about data privacy?

Do China not care enough?

Let us know your thoughts.