China’s activism on the AI front has made abundantly clear that the PRC places tremendous value on dominating the field. Washington should think deeply about what that means.
Years ago, the thought of using software to fight a deadly pathogen might have seemed far-fetched. Today, it’s a reality. The Coronavirus pandemic has caused monumental shifts in the use and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) around the world.
Of those now using AI to fight Coronavirus, none are more prominent than China. From software that diagnoses the symptoms of Coronavirus to algorithms that identify and compile data on individuals with high temperatures vis-à-vis infrared cameras, China is showcasing the potential applications of AI. But Beijing is also demonstrating its willingness to leverage the technology to solve many of its problems.
To understand the potential benefits and perils, we need to delve a bit deeper into the subject of AI itself. Artificial intelligence essentially falls into two categories: narrow and general. Narrow AI is a type of machine learning that is limited to specifically defined tasks, while general AI refers to totally autonomous intelligence akin to human cognition. General AI remains a distant dream for many, but the real-world implications of narrow AI exist in the present—and China is working diligently to become a world leader in it.
In his book AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order, former Microsoft executive and Google China president Kai-Fu Lee describes how the country began rapid development of AI as a response to AlphaGo, a software program that successfully bested the world’s top player in the ancient game of Go back in 2017. That victory, Lee explains, showcased China's Communist Party (CCP) research and technology with infinite potential.
The revelation was a sea-change. In its 2019 Annual Report, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission noted that the “Next Generation AI Development Plan” released in 2017 by China’s State Council “marked a shift in China’s approach to AI, from pursuing specific applications to prioritizing AI as foundational to overall economic competitiveness.”
The results have been rapid—and pronounced. China is still considered to be “second” in the race to AI (behind the U.S.), but it is quickly gaining traction.
