China is in the midst of a government-led technological boom. And with it has come the sudden rise of artificial intelligence in facial recognition. Many Chinese companies are now trying to cash in on the recent advancements. CGTN's Ponita Reasmey visited one such start-up in central China.

China is taking the lead when it comes to artificial intelligence.

Much of this is down to the government's sheer focus on technological development and innovation.

It believes it has the potential to be an economic driver, facilitating huge transformations in areas such as financial services, public security and transportation.

And China's private sector also recognizes the opportunity.

YAO ZHIQIANG STRATEGIC DIRECTOR & CO-FOUNDER, CLOUDWALK "First of all, China is a huge market, not only is there a huge demand in the market because of a large population and vast territory, but the industry also has clear demands for the technology, and the government is also very open-minded. The rapid development of application in more complex business fields will promote technological breakthroughs to solve problems discovered in application."

Yao's Chongqing-based company Cloudwalk is focusing especially on facial recognition.

He believes its new 3D-structured light facial-recognition technology can be one of those break-throughs.

PONITA REASMEY CHONGQING "The structured light detector has the ability to capture the 3D image and the human skin. This information is then sent to the receiver to produce a 3D image as I'm about to demonstrate."

The technology essentially guards against identity fraud brought about by 2D images or masks.

While it's still in development mode overseas, the technology has already been installed in banks and home security systems across China.

Indeed, developers are now sizing it up for shopping and other financial transactions.

"The Virtual Fitting Room" for example brings shopping for a new look to whole new level of convenience.

It makes you wonder after just a couple of years at the top, has the era of the QR code already had its day in China?

Ponita Reasmey, CGTN, Chongqing, China.