China has been leading the U.S. in both the number of published deep learning studies as well as the number of studies cited by researchers in the field. While quantity is not indicative of quality, the surge in A.I research in recent years demonstrates the eagerness of the Chinese government to dominate the A.I field.

China’s AI Gameplan

To build a great AI model requires enormous amount of data for the models to learn and China has the upper hand. With 1.4 billion population and 730 million internet users, China is a data haven for Chinese AI firms. In China where many mobile apps are inter-connected with WeChat or Alipay, Chinese mobile users have grown to be more permissive in the sharing of private data, a sharp contrast to many western countries that enforce strict regulations with regards to collecting personal data. Access to these hundreds of millions of users allowed Chinese AI researchers to conduct their research at a much higher pace and intensity.

However, China recognizes that the fastest way to grow its AI industry is through overseas collaboration and expansion. Chinese companies are incentivized by the Chinese government to expand overseas and set up research centers abroad; Chinese giants Tencent and Baidu have set up AI research labs in Silicon Valley, relying on the tech hotspot as a source of talent and AI innovations. Many Chinese firms have sought the strategy of rotating Chinese staff to its America offices as part of its knowledge acquisition strategy to accelerate the timeline and reach parity with U.S.

However, the potential national threat has promoted the U.S. government to conduct more stringent reviews of foreign investments, in particular funds from Chinese companies. In early 2017, Germany, France and Italy have also asked the European Commission to scrutinize current review systems and potentially exclude Chinese investments in Europe’s leading high-tech companies.

Playing Catch Up

Decades of A.I research and billions of investments have put U.S. at the top of the A.I list. Firms such as Google and Microsoft have also attracted top A.I researchers around the global into U.S.

In contrast, China faces a lack of A.I talents and the current education system is still far from meeting the requirements of a skilled labor force needed to dominate the A.I field. A LinkedIn report (link in Mandarin) states that the number of AI professionals in the U.S. exceeds 850,000, far above China’s 50,000 figure. Also, only 38.7% of the professionals in China’s AI sector have more than 10 years of experiences, a sharp contrast to 71.5% in the U.S. But with China reaching out to Silicon Valley along with its pool of academic graduates, the gap is closing.

“I think the US should focus on accelerating its own AI rather than slowing down anyone else’s,” — Andrew Ng, Professor at Stanford University & Co-founder of Google Brain

Heavy funding from the Chinese government and budget cuts from the U.S.have paved the way for China to take the A.I throne. Trump’s policies have deterred the influx of foreign talent and investment while other countries have welcomed them with open arms. What is imperative for U.S. is to keep alive or some suggest, revive the vibrant culture that has put Silicon Valley on the map.

Nonetheless, the AI race is a win-win situation for all. While new scientific knowledge and breakthroughs in AI development is the KPI for both countries, the benefits we reap advances the whole of humanity.

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Hi all! I’m a student currently interning in Shanghai! Also a tech enthusiast, I’m overwhelmed and excited about the tech advancements in China. **Feel free to leave a comment if you have any interesting topics and do let me know where I can improve on in my content. Thanks!**