Mysterious Towers are installed in NYC in high traffic areas at taxpayer expense. These towers are eerily familiar to government surveillance initiatives in China and are most likely only the precursor to the technology being installed in common, everyday locations, such as traffic lights, ATMs, stores, etc.
Software has already reached a high rate of efficiency in China and it is now being beta tested in conquered territory (Liberal cities) prior to being rolled out as a standard in all government controlled devices. With their hacking ability, their software is obviously not limited to their own hardware.
But more advanced cameras will be necessary for efficient recognition for the time being. I wonder if the government will "help" businesses upgrade their cameras in the near future with tax deductions? Or maybe we'll just see a decrease in pricing for surveillance tech.