It now seems certain that Artificial Intelligence is going to become a main driver of economic development. Most technology companies place it at the heart of their activities. China no longer wants to be the world's factory. Today, it wants to take a leading position in AI, which has become an issue of power and domination.
L’he year 2017 has seen an increasing number of countries become aware of the importance of Artificial Intelligence in shaping tomorrow's world. Russia, the United States and the United Arab Emirates have recently multiplied declarations and investment announcements. France is beginning to take an interest in it by commissioning the mathematician-deputee Cédric Villani a report on the subject. China does not intend to be left on the sidelines of this movement. It has set up a triennial program aiming to make AI its major economic driver by 2020. The avowed objective is to make China the world's most powerful leader in the AI industry by 2030.
The first step towards this ambitious goal has just been taken. The Chinese government has announced the construction of a technology park dedicated to AI development research in its capital city. According to the State news agency Xinhua and as initially reported by ReutersThe government is investing some $2.12 billion (13.8 billion yuan) to build an industrial park in western Beijing. This "national AI research centre" is expected to produce $7.7 billion (50 billion yuan) a year from the 400 companies that would be housed in the artificial intelligence research park.
When it comes to AI, China is not exactly starting from scratch. Previous reports have shown that China has certainly invested time and effort in AI research, even more than the United States. Thanks to its clearly structured program, China should soon surpass the US in the development of this technology sector. It must be said that Donald Trump's United States has still not managed to set up an AI program of this magnitude.
China is already working on a number of Artificial Intelligence projects such as humanoid robots, police robots, or medical AI. China also plans to dominate the race in the field of microprocessors based on AI. Google and Intel just have to behave themselves. It's a fast paced race in which large companies are increasingly investing in technology like Google and Amazon, and strategically refocusing their activities on AI.
Sources: MIT Technology Review, Reuters, Futurism
