China's Race for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology

[bobsm]

Why AI could make the US and China the two biggest superpowers and change warfare as we know it

After stealing the lead from the US in 2014, China continues to grow its AI capabilities, potentially meaning a more advanced military


By Olivia Krauth | November 28, 2017, 7:07 AM PST


After continued artificial intelligence (AI) growth, China may use its expertise to improve its military, according to a Center for a New American Security (CNAS) report expected Tuesday. The result: A potential shift in economic and military balances of power between China and the US.

"China is no longer in a position of technological inferiority relative to the United States but rather has become a true peer (competitor) that may have the capability to overtake the United States in AI," the report said.

China has been the world leader in AI since 2014, when it took the title from the US, according to the MIT Technology Review. Since then, the two nations have dominated the race, with MIT stating that the West shouldn't be afraid of China's growth, but rather, should aim to copy it.

This new report isn't the first time similar claims about China's power have been made. A 2017 unreleased Pentagon document, viewed by

Reuters, said Chinese firms were accessing US AI technology by buying into the US companies. Alphabet's Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said that he expects China and the US to be at the same technological level, if accurate, when it comes to AI within five years.

While AI has been a driving force in the tech industry recently, its impact can extend past enterprise use and development to the battlefield.

According to public documents made available in the CNAS report, China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) is working on AI-driven projects alongside the Chinese defense industry.

The US has also been working on defense-focused uses for AI, including machine learning technology that sorts through military drone footage. However, US policy requires a human role in machine-driven offensive actions—a policy China may not adopt.

"The PLA may leverage AI in unique and perhaps unexpected ways, likely less constrained by the legal and ethical concerns prominent in US thinking," the report said.

The 3 big takeaways for TechRepublic readers

After leading the AI race since 2014, China may be looking to use the tech to modernize its armed forces, according to an upcoming report from the Center for a New American Security.

The report warned that China may be able to overtake the US in AI, and the Chinese defense industry has been working with their army to develop military uses for AI.

The US has also been working to add AI to its defense capabilities, but requires a human role in offensive actions caused by machines. China may not adopt a similar policy, leading them to greater freedom in terms of AI's use in the military.

https://www.techrepublic.com/articl...superpowers-and-change-warfare-as-we-know-it/

 

[qwerrty]

it doesn't matter. most of the so-called ai american experts are of chinese origin anyway..

here's a picture of americans ai experts working at baidu ai lab in silicon valley

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China vs US: Who is winning the big AI battle?
Oct 22, 2017
Masha Borak

China and the US are becoming the world’s biggest rivals in artificial intelligence: it’s Luke vs Darth Vader, Alien vs Predator, Rocky vs Ivan Drago. The Chinese government’s pivot to become the leader in this technology has created plenty of hype, but how are China’s ambitious AI aspirations playing out on the ground? Research by startup database IT Juzi and Tencent News offers a new view of China’s AI industry’s strengths and weaknesses.

The US is currently the definite champion in AI development, according to the data. There are 1.82 times more American AI companies than Chinese. Investments in the US are 1.54 higher than in China and the talent pool is 2.01 times larger. Out of the total number of AI companies in the world (2542 according to data from June 2017), the US hosts 42% of them, while China ranks second with 23%. The two countries beat Britain, Australia, Japan, Sweden, Singapore and other developed countries.

These strong AI foundations were built with the help of companies such as Google, Amazon, IBM, and Microsoft which started their ascendance early. But that gap could close soon: China’s tech trinity BAT is also building its AI ecosystems. There is Baidu’s AI assistant/platform DuerOS, self-driving platform Apollo and deep learning platform Paddle Paddle. Alibaba has its Platform of Artificial Intelligence (PAI 2.0), the Tmall Genie voice assistant, and customer service chatbot Dian Xiaomi. Tencent has developed a cloud service, an open-source computing platform called Angel, Wechat AI, and robot reporter Dreamwriter.

Giants aren’t the only ones wrestling in the ring: AI companies in China are springing up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

“China’s artificial intelligence can basically rival the world’s, but the dividends brought by industrial revolutions over the past 10 years will eventually be gone,” said Yao Qizhi, the first Asian winner of the Turing award, adding that supercomputers and theory are China’s biggest shortcomings.

These are not the only areas lagging behind the US, according to the report. A major impediment is the lack of AI talent. The numbers show that the US AI talent pool is 78,000-strong, while in China, that number is more than half lower—it has 39,200 AI experts. The reason behind this is the lack of quality training: out of the top 20 universities in the world in AI, 16 are affiliated to the US. Current academic capacities in China simply do not meet the demand.

The divide is also visible within the industry: China’s AI development will have to bridge the technology gap while paying attention to product differentiation and market demand. These are the three thresholds for AI startup development, the report states.

“For investors, the artificial intelligence technology industry is a promising tech industry, both large and small companies have begun to rise,” according to IT Juzi analyst and study co-author Li Jingwang. “But like the Internet bubble of 2000, they should be more cautious in choosing the right company.”

Chinese and American AI experts will have plenty of opportunities for a rematch. The most important areas in AI in the near future will be network security and fraud prevention, unmanned convenience stores, machine translation, the medical and pharmaceutical industry, and intellectual right protection. The two countries are currently building their strengths in different fields while AI startups are growing with their local financing trends.

Here are some more interesting numbers on China’s AI industry from the “2017 China-US AI Venture Capital State and Trends Research Report” (2017中美AI创投现状与趋势研究报告).

What are Chinese and American AI companies researching?

Image credit: 2017 China-US AI Venture Capital State and Trends Research Report.

Thanks to advances in three crucial areas for AI development—algorithms, data and high-performance chips—the world is discovering new applications in the field. In China, the most popular growth areas are proving to be smart robots with companies such as Ubtech, Roobo, and Cloudminds, as well as unmanned areal vehicles (UAV) with drone giant DJI as the biggest player in the field.

Natural language processing (NLP), including semantic analysis, speech recognition, and chatbots have also proven a hot spot with Jinri Toutiao, iFlytek and Unisound as some of the more famous representatives.

The third popular category—face and image recognition—hosts companies such as Face++ and SenseVision. It covers video surveillance, automatic driving, and computer vision.

But what are China’s AI strengths comparing to the US? The research lists nine areas in AI according to the difficulty of starting a business. For instance, NLP and computer vision have lower technical difficulty, which is why this area is a common hotspot both in China and the US. The most difficult part of AI is processor and chip development due to the amounts of funding needed, long cycle of development, and fewer talents.

According to the research, China’s main strength lies in intelligent robots, while the US stands as the world’s machine learning application champion.

Image credit: 2017 China-US AI Venture Capital State and Trends Research Report

What industries are most affected by AI in China?
In China, the medical industry has become an interesting area for AI applications, including medical imaging and medical record analysis. This field has so far largely benefited from weak artificial intelligence, a form of AI specifically designed to focus on narrow tasks.

The automobile industry ranks second with self-driving and assisted driving, followed by education, finance, manufacturing, security, home and other industries.

Image credit: 2017 China-US AI Venture Capital State and Trends Research Report

How much money does the AI industry get?
Since the first AI investments in the US in 1999, the amount invested in AI globally has risen to RMB 191.4 billion. As of June 31st, 2017, Chinese AI companies received RMB 63.5 billion or 33.18% of the world’s AI funding, The US takes the lead with 51.10% (RMB 97.8 billion), while the rest of the world carved up the remaining 15.73%.

In 2016, China managed to edge closer to its main rival, but thanks to several big deals in the US, China’s total AI financing significantly lagged in H1 2017.

Another interesting piece of data is that China has a higher percentage of AI companies that have received investments (69%) than the US (51%). This shows that the main problem for AI development in China is not the lack of funds but the lack of technology and talent.

Image credit: China has a higher percentage of AI companies that have received investments (69%) than the US (51%).

 

[F-22Raptor]

Why AI could make the US and China the two biggest superpowers and change warfare as we know it

After stealing the lead from the US in 2014, China continues to grow its AI capabilities, potentially meaning a more advanced military


By Olivia Krauth | November 28, 2017, 7:07 AM PST


After continued artificial intelligence (AI) growth, China may use its expertise to improve its military, according to a Center for a New American Security (CNAS) report expected Tuesday. The result: A potential shift in economic and military balances of power between China and the US.

"China is no longer in a position of technological inferiority relative to the United States but rather has become a true peer (competitor) that may have the capability to overtake the United States in AI," the report said.

China has been the world leader in AI since 2014, when it took the title from the US, according to the MIT Technology Review. Since then, the two nations have dominated the race, with MIT stating that the West shouldn't be afraid of China's growth, but rather, should aim to copy it.

This new report isn't the first time similar claims about China's power have been made. A 2017 unreleased Pentagon document, viewed by

Reuters, said Chinese firms were accessing US AI technology by buying into the US companies. Alphabet's Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said that he expects China and the US to be at the same technological level, if accurate, when it comes to AI within five years.

While AI has been a driving force in the tech industry recently, its impact can extend past enterprise use and development to the battlefield.

According to public documents made available in the CNAS report, China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) is working on AI-driven projects alongside the Chinese defense industry.

The US has also been working on defense-focused uses for AI, including machine learning technology that sorts through military drone footage. However, US policy requires a human role in machine-driven offensive actions—a policy China may not adopt.

"The PLA may leverage AI in unique and perhaps unexpected ways, likely less constrained by the legal and ethical concerns prominent in US thinking," the report said.

The 3 big takeaways for TechRepublic readers

After leading the AI race since 2014, China may be looking to use the tech to modernize its armed forces, according to an upcoming report from the Center for a New American Security.

The report warned that China may be able to overtake the US in AI, and the Chinese defense industry has been working with their army to develop military uses for AI.

The US has also been working to add AI to its defense capabilities, but requires a human role in offensive actions caused by machines. China may not adopt a similar policy, leading them to greater freedom in terms of AI's use in the military.

View attachment 440372

https://www.techrepublic.com/articl...superpowers-and-change-warfare-as-we-know-it/

There were points in the 60's, 70's, and 80's where it was proclaimed that the Soviets and Japanese had or would pass the US in technological capability. It never happened. These types of reports are ultimately meant for increased defense funding. It reminds me of the "bomber and missile gap" relative to the Soviets that never existed.

US companies and military are spending billions on AI development. AI is already being implemented to locate fixed and mobile missile systems throughout East Asia. AI is the centerpiece of the new Long Range Anti-Ship Missile(LRASM) which will debut aboard B-1 bombers next year. AI is incorporated in the F-35 through its ability to soak in huge amounts of information, fuse it, and distribute it to the force.

All the top US tech companies are investing heavily in AI. That info is easily accessible.

 

[bobsm]

There were points in the 60's, 70's, and 80's where it was proclaimed that the Soviets and Japanese had or would pass the US in technological capability. It never happened.

When you start to group China with Japan and the soviets, I stopped reading. The Chinese have way more talented people and think far more ahead than those two nations in the 60's, 70's and the 80's.

 

[nang2]

All of the far cry for talent shortage is nothing but smoke screen. If the technology has revenue perspective, companies can simply pay enough to attract talents. Stop being cheap, then talent shortage will be cured naturally.

Nowadays, IT specialists in Shanghai are paid at similar level as those in Boston. So are the life expenses, except hiring a nanny is far cheaper in Shanghai.

 

[shadows888]

There were points in the 60's, 70's, and 80's where it was proclaimed that the Soviets and Japanese had or would pass the US in technological capability. It never happened. These types of reports are ultimately meant for increased defense funding. It reminds me of the "bomber and missile gap" relative to the Soviets that never existed.

US companies and military are spending billions on AI development. AI is already being implemented to locate fixed and mobile missile systems throughout East Asia. AI is the centerpiece of the new Long Range Anti-Ship Missile(LRASM) which will debut aboard B-1 bombers next year. AI is incorporated in the F-35 through its ability to soak in huge amounts of information, fuse it, and distribute it to the force.

All the top US tech companies are investing heavily in AI. That info is easily accessible.

I find it hilarious when People compare China to Japan or the Soviet Union. The soviets never stand a chance, they lost 30 million at the end of WWII, and always had only 1/2 of the population of the US. Japan is even more of an hilarious comparison. China is Japan on steroids x 11 population size and x25 land area size with immense natural resources. China is a different beast altogether.

 

[Bussard Ramjet]

All of the far cry for talent shortage is nothing but smoke screen. If the technology has revenue perspective, companies can simply pay enough to attract talents. Stop being cheap, then talent shortage will be cured naturally.

Nowadays, IT specialists in Shanghai are paid at similar level as those in Boston. So are the life expenses, except hiring a nanny is far cheaper in Shanghai.

AI doesn't have enough talent for meeting demand. And after one point money is not necessarily the only thing that people seek.

 

[F-22Raptor]

When you start to group China with Japan and the soviets, I stopped reading. The Chinese have way more talented people and think far more ahead than those two nations in the 60's, 70's and the 80's.

Your kidding right? China doesn't come close to the level of military power projection capability or global influence they had through their Marxist/Communist ideology. You overestimate yourself...

 

[Bussard Ramjet]

it doesn't matter. most of the so-called ai american experts are of chinese origin anyway..

here's a picture of americans ai experts working at baidu ai lab in silicon valley

But it does. The best Chinese talent these days is not inside China but in the US.
This makes it tough for local Chinese companies to hire them, and most of all retain them.
Apart from that these people further train people and collaborate with Americans not Chinese.
And finally, there's chance that US can make it tough to access and tap this talent. US is already passing a law that would essentially make it illegal for Chinese companies to invest in US startups. So now China will lack access to startups that it's own citizens create in the US in AI.

Apart from that during a crisis this access will be totally cut off.

 

[F-22Raptor]

I find it hilarious when People compare China to Japan or the Soviet Union. The soviets never stand a chance, they lost 30 million at the end of WWII, and always had only 1/2 of the population of the US. Japan is even more of an hilarious comparison. China is Japan on steroids x 11 population size and x25 land area size with immense natural resources. China is a different beast altogether.

Your exactly right, China is Japan on steroids. In other words, a nation facing a long term demographic crisis and stagnation. In about thirty years, a third of your population will be over the age of 65, and in overall decline. Growth will stagnate, and huge amounts of money will have to be allocated towards health and social safety nets. This means less money for defense and S&T accounts.

In the last 5 years alone China has lost ground to the US in GDP and total national wealth. Your not catching up like you once were.

 

[kankan326]

China's education machine works very efficiently. Give it some more time.

Your exactly right, China is Japan on steroids. In other words, a nation facing a long term demographic crisis and stagnation. In about thirty years, a third of your population will be over the age of 65, and in overall decline. Growth will stagnate, and huge amounts of money will have to be allocated towards health and social safety nets. This means less money for defense and S&T accounts.

In the last 5 years alone China has lost ground to the US in GDP and total national wealth. Your not catching up like you once were.

China has a last or worst choice left(I don't think it will happen): Letting immigrants in. Which is happening in US. 30 years later, over 50% US population will be non white. China could be next Japan. US could be next South Africa.

 

[JSCh]

Five reasons why China is backing AI with billions of yuan

• CGTN's Nicholas Moore
• 2017-12-03 10:59 GMT+8
• Updated 2017-12-03 11:39 GMT+8

The Fourth World Internet Conference is taking place in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province, with artificial intelligence (AI) as one of the topics.

Earlier this year, China’s State Council laid out ambitious plans for China to become the world leader in artificial intelligence (AI), with AI to become a 150-billion-US-dollar industry by 2030.

The State Council called AI “a new engine of economic development,” and while its potential is widely accepted, why is China looking to pump so much money and effort into a technology that largely remains in a stage of infancy?

AI to put Made in China 2025 on the map

For China’s key manufacturing strategy – Made in China 2025 – AI has been singled out as an important area for boosting production, efficiency, innovation and overall quality.

Autonomous vehicles are just one example of how AI will be used in more and more products that can be developed and sold to the world, bolstering long-term economic growth and upgrading China “from a manufacturer of quantity to one of quality,” as Premier Li Keqiang said in 2015.

Automation offsets labor costs, ageing population

When it comes to manufacturing, China will not only be producing AI technology, AI will play a key role in the production line itself.

VCG Photo‍

With the country looking to move to an economic model based on consumption and services, AI can be used to offset rising labor costs and an expected decrease in the workforce due to China’s rapidly ageing population.

Automation will rely heavily on AI and deep learning, and affect workplaces well beyond factories – AI is already being used in customer-facing roles, managing financial assets and other areas of monotonous work which until now required human employees.

While some argue that globally this will free up workers to focus on innovation rather than number-crunching and spreadsheets, a report released in late November by McKinsey suggested that 800 million workers would be replaced by AI robots by 2030 – one fifth of the entire global workforce.

AI and national security

The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China saw a lot of focus on the development of China’s military, and again, AI technology has a key role to play in national defense.

In November, Chinese company Yitu Tech’s facial recognition technology won a competition organized by a research arm of the US intelligence community, showing how China’s AI is already being considered as world-leading.

Drones are just one example of how AI is being applied in the military. /VCG Photo

According to China Daily, “AI has the potential to reshape defense technology,” and that goes beyond the military. The vice-minister of science and technology Li Meng has said that AI will be a key tool in crime prediction for the government, while facial recognition technology was used by police in Shenzhen this year to find an abducted child and arrest the suspected kidnappers.

AI will change the way China does finance

AI, machine learning and big data will all be key players as the burgeoning fintech sector continues to develop in China. Fintech led by AI will allow the financial sector to automate a significant portion of work, manage assets, deal with clients and handle transactions for 24 hours a day at a pace much faster than any human worker.

VCG Photo

China’s economic growth in the last four decades can be attributed to impressive man power and human effort – the next few decades should see AI handle and deliver further financial development, with technology key to opening up sectors of the economy like SMEs, services and personal finance.

China has everything in place for AI to develop

The push for AI is not only underway in China – Europe, the US and other major economies are all vying to get on the front foot. But China has significant advantages that can propel it way ahead of the competition.

By the end of June this year, China had 751 million people online, and 724 million of those have access to the Internet via mobile phones. Meanwhile, more than 520 million people use mobile payment platforms. This means not just an enormous market for AI Internet technology, but also access to huge amounts of user data, aiding tech developers in their development of new innovations.

The unique online ecosystem in China, which has seen giants like Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent grow at an enormous rate, means there is ample competition, funding and impetus to fuel research in AI.

Alongside government support for AI development, this push in the private sector gives research into the technology a forward motion that other countries can’t compete with.

 

[TaiShang]

Global Tech 2017 envisions how AI will shape life
By He Shan
China.org.cn, December 02, 2017

Global Tech 17, an AI-themed technology conference, was held in Beijing on Thursday, bringing together home-grown technology giants such as Alibaba and Huawei and multinationals like Microsoft and Samsung to discuss how artificial intelligence will shape future life.

Global Tech 17, an AI-themed technology conference,isheld in Beijing Thursday.[Photo/China.org.cn]

Microsoft Chief Software Architect Dr. Zhou Li said the most important direction of AI is in the ability of conversation and understanding human emotions, and that is the biggest difference between AI and current human-machine interaction.

"When it comes to 'smiles,' there are many different kinds of expressions such as grinning, and even bitter smiling," he explained.

"We hope that through calculating human feelings, we can explore more uncharted areas and needs, unleashing the imagination of the AI industry and anticipating the earlier arrival of the era of intelligent life," he added.

Speaking of the AI trend in the future of the smart city, Alibaba Vice President Hua Xiansheng commented that the "city brain" has become just as much an infrastructure facility as electricity, and it can't be accomplished only by human beings; there is an extremely large value placed on AI to deeply analyze the big data.

The management consultancy McKinsey & Company estimates that as many as 60 percent of today's professions could outsource almost a third of their workload to AI. The global market of AI is expected to grow at an annual average rate of 36 percent, reaching a value of US$3 trillion by 2025 from US$126 billion in 2015.

Qin Liang, a manager of Huawei Wireless Products Line, said the commercial application of 5G technologies will witness a boom in 2019.

In the transport area, for example, 5G technologies would be able to meet needs from such areas as driverless vehicles, while they would also be able to gather and process enough data to build the infrastructure of a smart city.

Professor Li Jinliang, a pioneer of China's mobile communications sector, also offered his ideas at the conference.

He said 5G technologies had solved the issue of ultra-fast transmission of data and laid the foundation for the construction of the internet of things.

Science-fiction author Hao Jingfang, the first Chinese woman to win a Hugo Award, offered a different perspective on how to apply AI to education.

"AI can promote education equality and give children in poverty-stricken families access to education," she said. However, she added that AI still faces challenges such as how to coordinate student activities, how to get them to express personal feelings, and how to stimulate innovation.

She advised future teachers to work harder to stimulate the interest of students in learning, encourage them to think and innovate, and organize them to cooperate.

 

[bobsm]

Your kidding right? China doesn't come close to the level of military power projection capability or global influence they had through their Marxist/Communist ideology. You overestimate yourself...

Actually, no, but if it makes you sleep better at night, so be it. I truely hope the US feels the same as you, for China's sake.

You overestimate yourself

When did I talk about myself, a Taiwanese? Unless, of course, you think, like some members in this forum, it is impossible for any Taiwanese to be critical of americans.

 

[大汉奸柳传志]

ai is overhyped anyway...machine mimicking human intelligence does not equal to true intelligence