China Plans to Become the World’s Top AI Superpower
As has become apparent from statements by leading public intellectuals and worldwide political leaders alike, the nation that first and/or most fully develops AI in the coming decades will have the ability to reshape world affairs to a magnitude previously unseen in human history. While America has maintained a comfortable lead in technology for at least the past half-century, China hopes to become the global leader in AI by 2030 and seems well on track to do so. Singapore’s theindependent.com reports:
China has vowed to become a world leader in artificial intelligence by 2030 in full force, in every layer of education system. China plans to pump up to a billion to win this arms race.
On 20 July, China had released a “national AI development plan” which committed it to spending $29.8 billion on AI research by 2020 and $79.48 billion by 2025.
The “national AI development plan” consists of a step-by-step policy outlined, with a pledge to become the world best AI leader, aiming an industrial scale yield of RMB1 trillion (about S$206 billion).
Heavy emphasis has been placed on the pivotal roles of primary and secondary education, with special programmes and high-end talents to be soon injected. Of course, more institutions and research centres and more experts are to be expected.
China’s State Council said the “situation with China on national security and international competition is complex”, which was part of the incentive for making a domestic AI push.
“China right now represents about half of the most interesting AI investment opportunities in the world,” said venture capitalist Jim Breyer at the CNBC Institutional Investor Delivering Alpha conference in New York.
