China
22:47, 11-Aug-2018
Can you imagine doing a job that lets you watch people kiss all day?
Updated
22:41, 14-Aug-2018
["china"]
Share
Copied
For some, Ji Hengshan has a dream job enabled by China’s AI boom. The software engineer for e-commerce giant Alibaba mostly just sits in front of a screen and tags pictures of people kissing in television series.
Ji graduated from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 2016 with a master’s degree in computer vision, a major that, generally speaking, aims to “teach” computers to understand the world and develop a “machine eye.”
Ji Hengshan tags the kissing scenes in TV dramas for work. /Photo via Youth.cn
Ji Hengshan tags the kissing scenes in TV dramas for work. /Photo via Youth.cn
After graduation, Ji worked as a programmer for an Internet company. Last September, he joined Alibaba’s technical team as a senior algorithm engineer for its video streaming platform Youku. His main job is to have computers recognize kissing and other scenes, earning him the moniker “kissing evaluator.”
Ji Hengshan analyzes facial expressions and postures of characters. /Photo via Youth.cn
Ji Hengshan analyzes facial expressions and postures of characters. /Photo via Youth.cn
“When watching the video, the audience always pays more attention to the crucial points like holding hands and kissing. These sweet moments can offer them a sense of happiness,” Ji said. “It’s a perfect job for me as I can label the pictures and enjoy the TV shows at the same time.”
When a computer “figures out” a kissing scene involving different postures and complex scenarios, it will record the spectacle. The tagged scene can be used as a source for editors making videos of relevant topics.
Ji Hengshan has a discussion with colleagues. /VCG Photo
Ji Hengshan has a discussion with colleagues. /VCG Photo
The more images that are tagged, the more accurate the machine identification will be. The eight people in Ji’s team often discuss fiercely whether a movement is a kiss or not.
Consumers of China’s online video content reached nearly 600 million in the past decade, according to an Alibaba report last December.
“Rather than simply watch the show, people prefer more interesting clips, highlights, and will more actively find their favorite scenes online,” Ji Hengshan said, believing his job will be in high demand in the future.