Representative image 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…