Falling not behind in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) race, China wants to challenge the United States, creating their own AI model in the past 18 months.
Pressing forward vigorously by September 2024, China’s artificial intelligence capabilities are doggedly rivaling the United States’ in this highly sensitive area of technology. This is not only about technological leadership but rather about setting standards and economic leadership in this sphere.
Specifically, Chinese behemoths such as Tencent and Alibaba have been rapidly creating and implementing AI models, improving their offerings, and expanding their technological reach. All of this is a part of a larger government strategy that aims to make AI a $150 billion business and establish China as a global leader in the field by 2030. This is further supported by the broad state investment in AI technologies, through which China has already been able to take a significant place in the world arena.
To the United States, it continues to enjoy high development momentum in AI, driven by its private sector and academia performing cutting-edge research. Simultaneously, this is not without its problems, especially in policy and regulation, touted as supreme in ensuring that its lead is locked. Current policy debates and measures undertaken betray the realization of how profoundly fundamental impacts AI brings about in national security, economy, and governance.
The progress both countries are making in AI is also being watched very carefully internationally for what this might mean for who will reign supreme in technology leadership. The US government had put tight controls on the export of key technologies—advanced GPUs included—to China in a way to try to slow it down in developing this type of sophisticated AI model. Chinese companies continue to innovate their way around such restrictions, investing in domestic capabilities. Witness the advances Huawei has made with AI chip technologies competitive with international peers.
It is an intense rivalry, but one that underlies an even broader geopolitical tussle over technological supremacy and the struggle for economic influence in which AI is right at the front. Both countries understand quite clearly the strategic meaning of AI and would no doubt continue their investment in depth—not just in financial terms, but also in the creation of international norms and policies regarding the governance of technology and data.
