Major portion of China's GDP (Gross
Domestic Product) comes from the manufacturing sector and that is why China is
one of those countries which are going to benefit most due to AI. Challenging
U.S dominance in the AI sector, Beijing has presented its plan to become the
world-leader in AI by 2025. It released a national artificial intelligence (AI)
development plan. China expects its core AI industries to exceed a value of
$22.15 billion in 2020 and $59.07 billion in 2025. China's State Council said
in a notice that it will encourage cross-border cooperation as part of the
strategy. US is concerned over the increased amounts of investment of China in
its AI sector fearing China could access technology of strategic military
importance. Moreover China is following a similar national AI development plan
released by the US in October last year. China is aiming to catch up with the
global leaders by getting rid of issues like lack of high-end computer chips
and equipment, software and trained personnel. It plans to strengthen links
between private firms, research bodies and military bodies to promote mutual
development in AI. Top Chinese firms like Baidu Inc. (also known as China's
Google) and Tencent Holdings Ltd. have established research bases in the US.
China has begun investing heavily in artificial intelligence technology.
At the opening ceremony of the 17th
Congress of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2014, President Xi Jinping
called for innovation and breakthroughs in science and technology, including
AI. Following 2014, there have been a series of national economic initiatives
which includes the 13th Five Year Plan (March 2015), Made in China 2025 (May
2016), Robotics Industry Development Plan (April 2016), and Three-year Guidance
for Internet Plus Artificial Intelligence Plan (May 2016), which provided
guidelines to boost AI R&D. China’s top economic planner, the National
Development and Research Commission (NDRC), announced that it would create an
AI market worth more than US$15.26 billion by 2018. In 2016, a report by White
house indicated that the number of academic research papers published in China
in the field of deep learning exceeded the number published by U.S.
researchers. Another study reported that Chinese patent applications in the
segment of AI grew to 8,410 between 2010 and 2014, a 186 percent increase from
the previous five-year period. Scientists refer AI as the core of the next wave
of industrialization and China realizes that.
According to a report, this technology will
contribute as much as $15.7 trillion to output by 2030, that's more than the
current combined output of China and India. China is looking to compete with US
market leaders such as Alphabet Inc's Google and Microsoft Corp. Another report
estimated that AI could increase China’s annual growth rate by 1.6 percentage
point to 7.9 percent by 2035 in terms of gross value added.
US hightened its scrutiny over China's investment in Silicon Valley as it
fears that is vital for its National security. It is worried that China
could use this cutting edge technology to increase its military capabilities
and further push strategic industries. A Pentagon report warns that China is
gaining access to sensitive technology. China is viewing this as the fourth
industrial revolution and trying to build a very strong ecosystem around it.
Amid warnings of the economic disruption
that robots and automation could unleash on the world economy as traditional
roles disappear, researchers are finding that new technologies will help fuel
global growth as productivity and consumption soar. AI will contribute as much
as $15.7 trillion to the world economy by 2030. Global GDP, which stood at
about $74 trillion in 2015, will be 14 percent higher in 2030 as a result of
AI. Albeit the benefits against risks and costs of the AI technology are
discussed, China has made it clear that it is getting ready to bring and be a
part of the transformational changes that AI promises.
No comments:
Post a Comment