Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a significant landmark of the century because it has been a major technological, innovative, and national security concern for all states. China stands as a key player in the global arena of AI with its desire to dominate the field by 2030. In this regard, it has continuously grown in the meadow during the last decade through scientist’s struggles and crucial industries that drive these advancements.
Several laws have been passed through the Chinese Government’s structure to regulate this growing sector. As a result, global power dynamics have been affected, particularly the monopoly of the US in the AI industry, which has been challenged by China, raising concerns for the US stakeholders to take precautions and maintain its technological hegemony and innovation ecosystems.
Artificial Intelligence Advancement in China
AI development started in the 1950s in China through the publications of many renowned scholars. For instance, in 1956, when Xuesen Qian published “Engineering Cybernetics,” he clearly stated the increased importance of AI in enhancing human abilities. Further, the Chinese Association of Automation (CAA), the China Computer Federation (CCF), and the Chinese Association for Artificial Intelligence (CAAI) were established in 1961, 1962, and 1981 respectively, dedicated to fostering the country’s AI growth mainly by improving theorem proving, national Chinese comprehension, biological control, pattern recognition, robots, and expert systems.
Nevertheless, AI became a major strategic focus for China at the onset of the new millennium. In the 2000s, China pushed its policies, for example, the 863 program initiative, toward AI innovation. The paradigm shift in this sector came due to China’s AI plan, named, “Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan” in 2017, issued by the State Council of China, with an ambitious strategy to make China the world’s premier AI country by 2030. Since then, the plan has been working in different areas.
- Firstly, it increases research and development (R&D) by establishing institutions that enhance AI research.
- Secondly, it aims to benefit from the vast amount of data gained by its huge population as well as governmental agencies, accessed through social media, e-commerce platforms, and digital services.
- Thirdly, it provides technical training and educational lectures in association with international institutions and experts, to increase AI advancements.
Hence, through these events, China has been working on its strategic goal to enhance its AI capabilities.
Key Individuals in the Field
Leadership plays a significant role in the Chinese policy formation and executive. In this regard, several leaders have played an essential role in the growth of AI in China throughout history. One such prominent leader was Kai-Fu Lee, the former Microsoft and Google executive and the CEO of Sinovation Ventures, founded in 2009, which supports AI startups in China. He has authored many Chinese and English books, particularly The AI Superpowers, AI 2024, and My Journey into AI.
In 1987 Huawei was founded, which progressed immensely by placing the company in the list of top AI technology around the globe. Its founder, Ren Zhengfei, has prompted advancements such as 5G integration and AI growth.
Another large AI company in China, prioritizing deep learning, natural language processing, and autonomous vehicles, is Baidu, founded by Robin Li in 2000. Its aim is to make complex issues feasible through friendly AI content discovery.
Further, Alibaba, founded by Jack Ma in 1999, invested highly in AI and the e-commerce ecosystem by providing AI-powered logistic systems, facial identification technology, and cloud computing structure. These are a few examples of the personalities in China who have pushed its AI development, and there are many more such individuals.
Artificial Intelligence in China – Key Industries
Several industries have contributed to advancement of artificial intelligence in China and benefited from it. First and foremost, the e-commerce and retail of China, such as Alibaba and Pinduoduo, have adopted many AI systems, for instance, personalized recommendations, smart logistics, and intelligent customer service chat boxes. Their purpose is to improve marketing strategies, delivery systems, and users’ shopping experience.
Secondly, the integration of AI in Chinese healthcare and biotech sectors, such as Ping An and Tencent, has enabled the amelioration of medical processes, drug discovery, and disease diagnosis. An essential step in this journey was the implementation of the Healthy China initiative in 2016 which allowed the integration of AI in the health sector. Likewise, the approval for the AI-powered medical imaging software by the Chinese Government in 2020 helped to detect cancer and other types of diseases.
Consequently, in the transport and vehicles sector, Chinese industries, such as Baidu, Tencent, and NIO, AI is incorporated into engineering self-driving and autonomous cars and technologies.
Similarly, AI is also optimized in the traffic management system in Chinese cities, through the integration of an intelligence transport system (ITS). Subsequently, AI is being used by the financial services industries, such as Ant Group and WeBank, to detect fraud and cybersecurity concerns. Also, to manage financial data management, AI tools are used which enhances the customer-friendly system. Not only in major cities but even in small cities, AI tools are used to keep an eye on security conditions, mainly for urban planning, waste management, and energy optimization.
Chinese Laws Regulating AI
Despite the growing importance of AI in the majority of the sectors of China, it has taken several legislative steps to get here. Specifically, the 2017 AI development plan, which provides a pathway to AI development through a focus on R&D, talent promotion, and AI usage in prevailing industries.
In addition, the Chinese Government passed the Cybersecurity law in 2017, to prevent online harassment cases and secure the privacy of citizens. It also asks the industries to maintain the safety of individuals. Moreover, the Chinese Government also released the ethical implications of AI in 2021 to regulate the fair, transparent, and accountable working of AI. Thus, this step emerged as a guide for maintaining social values along with modern technological developments.
Chinese AI Strategy – A Threat to US Monopoly
The increased AI and technological ecosystems of China have emerged as a significant challenge to the US AI monopoly. It can enhance China’s strategic advantage by giving it an edge over national security through the advancements of new weapons, cyber armaments, and AI-powered surveillance systems, hence giving birth to its military capabilities and global power structure. The economic growth of China can rapidly increase through the AI incorporation in its key industrial sectors.
The AI development in China raises concerns over human rights issues, mainly in the Xinjiang province and the Uyghur populations, where AI can be used to restrict the surveillance system. Lastly, the global influence of China can increase exponentially due to AI integration and advancement, particularly because it will benefit the Belt and Road Initiative and the global reach of China.
Conclusion
China’s increased advancements in AI have paved the way for national economic growth and security dynamics, providing both opportunities and challenges for the state. The AI sector has had a long history in the country with many key individuals involved in promoting the field. Today, many essential industries in China are incorporating AI technologies in their systems. Nevertheless, China’s AI growth is a major challenge to the US technological supremacy and the global power dynamics. Yet, the AI sector of China pushes the country to develop in the current technological and digital era.
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