This content was first published by Pacific Forum. It is republished with authority.
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, said in 2017 that “whoever takes the crown in this realm will rule the world.” He was speaking to some kids about the risks of any nation monopolizing developments in artificial intelligence.
In our present political environment, the United States and China appear to be focusing on AI as the fresh front-runner in the great power fight. This is obvious from the increased amount of AI activities, policies, and actions the two nations have engaged in late.
While the US’s and the EU’s actions on AI have been a regular part of media coverage, the first complete law on AI, the EU’s, have not been properly noted, aside from in-depth scientific analyses that are frequently difficult for the layperson to access or biased coverage that does not do justice to the scientific content of China’s strategies.
This article will cover China’s strategy for influencing AI management and growth on a global level while remaining limited to what is contained in China’s papers on AI while providing some framework where necessary.
It will provide insight into how China intends to utilize AI in its pay for international influence. Ideally, this will tell the discussion on global AI governance in the general public and function as a resource for experts and policymakers working on global AI developments.
Understanding China’s strategy may assist other actors in leadership and AI developments in general in preparing and responding appropriately. It is important that the earth keeps an eye on China seeing that it is very motivated to result in the new century of Artificial Intelligence and that whatever China does is affect us all.
The ways in which China intends to dominate the world through AI are summarized in the following. These were derived from a review of , China’s top AI plan documents , and a relevant analysis, with an emphasis on obvious representations of China’s method for influencing AI management worldwide and its strategies for dominating AI improvements at an international level.
Recognizing AI as a corporate technology for competing at a global stage
China recognizes that AI has implications for national security, and uses it as a proper technology for advancing its position among the most ingeniously competitive nations of the world.
In the New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan ( NGAIDP ) of 2017, the People’s Republic of China ( PRC ) made note of the increasing complexity that China faces in terms of national security and international competition in a rapidly emerging world. It therefore recommended that China “must, looking at the world, take the development of AI to the national strategic level with systemic layout, take the initiative in planning, firmly seize the strategic initiative in the new stage of international competition in AI development, “ , to create
China seems to have recognized the transformative impacts of AI techniques across cultures and markets and is seeking to place itself carefully. By adopting a properly planned approach to AI that aims to create competitive advantages in new markets while also using AI to defend its national security interests, the PRC aims to become a “global science and technology power.”
Keeping up knowledge of one’s strengths and weaknesses
In its bid to utilize AI for global profitability, China looks to strengthen its areas of strength. The NGAIDP took note of this:
China has made significant progress in the field of AI as a result of many years of constant accumulation, with the number of global scientific and technological papers published and the number of patents ranked second in the world, while also achieving significant breakthroughs in some of the most important areas of technology.
The PRC went on to list different areas of China’s scientific leadership and accomplishments, like as voice recognition, physical recognition, professional and service robots, smart monitoring and biological identification.
China, however, appears to be open-minded about its abilities and acknowledges the areas where it needs to improve. The PRC pointed out that despite China’s accomplishments in the fields listed, there is still a gap between, in the eyes of China, and other developed nations that are particularly concerned about achieving significant original results in fields like basic theory, core algorithms, key equipment, high-end chips, and more.
China looks to address these and other areas through urgently improving basic infrastructure, policies, regulations, and standards systems.
identifying opportunities and monitoring global trends in AI development
China does n’t take the risk of stumbling over its approach and dumping its resources wherever it wants to go in order to realize its AI plans. Instead, the PRC looks to be opportunistic and utilizing-maximizing. China will “accurately grasp the global development trends of AI, find the appropriate openings for breakthroughs and directions for the main thrust,” according to the NGAIDP.
The PRC intends to closely monitor global AI developments through R&, D initiatives and studies that evaluate general trends. By capitalizing on opportunities revealed in crucial areas by trendwatching, China hopes to lead the world by setting the trend itself.
gaining the advantage of the first-mover
The phrase “first-mover advantage” is a recurring phrase in China’s AI policy documents. This is indicative of the PRC’s intent to drive novel discovery and application of AI systems. The Ministry of Education released the 2018 Artificial Intelligence Action Plan for Institutions of Higher Education ( Action Plan ) to help with this goal. One of the goals of the Action Plan was stated as follows:” That China can gain a first-mover advantage in the development of artificial intelligence.”
The implication of this is that China preconceives that certain benefits of AI will only accrue to first-movers and it works towards realizing these.
consciously distributing resources
According to them, money makes the world revolve. AI is no exception and China understands this. China will “fully use existing finances, bases, and other such stored resources,” according to the NGAIDP, and it will “fully plan the allocation of international and domestic innovation resources.”
The PRC intends to use policy incentives to inform its use of inputs from its financial administration experts, aiming to make the best use of its resources for pursuing innovation on a global scale.
Therefore, to realize its vision of being a global science and technology power, China is prioritizing a conscientious allocation of its financial and other resources in its domestic and international policies.
achieving technological and theoretical advancements in AI
Basic science funding is typically a subject of negative effects when budget cuts are made in many nations because the returns are frequently not immediately apparent or applicable. However, China has identified this area as a critical area that will inform its capacity to develop world-leading AI systems and drive its economic ascent to global power.
By 2025, China will have significant advances in fundamental theories of AI, with the NGAIDP predicting that AI will become the main driver of China’s industrial upgrading and economic transformation.
China’s ambitions are further exemplified in the Action Plan, which states that it will “make a number of original achievements of international significance” and “demonstrate a world-class level in some theoretical research, innovative technology, and application.”
By achieving groundbreaking progress in new-generation AI theory and technology systems, China hopes to contribute to AI applications in fields such as intelligent manufacturing, intelligent medicine and national defense construction, all of which it expects will greatly expand and strengthen its economy.
And the results are already arriving. China has filed the most AI patents since 2020, leading the world in terms of publication figures, and as of 2022, it has filed the most. These results are also aided by China ‘s , expanding domestic market and AI-promoting privacy-weak regulations.
promoting globalization and entering global markets
China hopes that the cumulative effects of its AI-related theoretical and technological advancements will have a bigger impact on global markets. The NGAIDP predicted that China will achieve “world-leading levels” in AI theories, technologies, and applications by 2030, making it the , “world’s primary AI innovation center”.
The PRC hopes that having concrete results from the use of AI in sophisticated society and economic arrangements will lay the foundation for its rise to economic dominance among the most creative countries on the world stage. China is also determined to actively support its domestic AI businesses and brands to achieve a global leading status and facilitate international cooperation with leading foreign AI companies and research institutes.
The” Internet ” Artificial Intelligence Three-Year Action and Implementation Plan ( Internet Plan ) detailed China’s plan to
encourage cooperation with the relevant nations to improve the R&D and use of AI technology, integrate domestic and international innovation resources, and strengthen the industry’s ability to innovate globally and remain competitiv. We will assist relevant industry associations, industry alliances, and business service organizations in developing service platforms and providing international cooperation and overseas innovation services to innovative companies in the AI field.  ,
China also wants to increase its influence on global AI developments by collaborating with other member nations in the” One Belt, One Road” initiative, a foreign policy initiative to increase its global footprint by funding infrastructural, trade, and investment projects around the world, and obtaining foreign AI investments in research and development.
investing in education and the talent pipeline
Talent is a critical element and resource for AI developments and China recognizes this in its plan for global influence in AI. This is particularly crucial given China’s growing brain drain and the country’s increasing talent shortage, many of whom are leaving the country as a result of undemocratic political and social conditions.
The NGAIDP provides specifics on how China addresses what it sees as a strategic weakness in its AI strategies. By prioritizing the” construction of a high-end talent team” the PRC seeks to build a talent base both by improving its AI education system and by hunting for the “world’s top talent and young talent”.
It aims to accomplish this by setting up personnel training centers, conducting research collaborations with the top AI research institutions in the world, receiving technical advice from top AI talent from abroad, supporting academic exchanges abroad and technical exchanges, and using talent schemes like the” Thousand Talents” plan.
By 2030, colleges and universities will be the main force behind the construction of the world’s main AI innovation centers, according to the Action Plan, and they will be the ones to create a new generation of AI talent. This will give China the scientific and technological support and guaranteed talent to place it at the top of the list of innovation-oriented nations.
In light of this, institutions of higher education are encouraged to adapt their curricula to be responsive to cutting-edge developments in global science and technology, create additional AI-related majors that address industrial demand nationally and regionally, cross-integrate professional education for AI with other disciplines and create world-class teaching materials.
influencing global governance and standards
China is no longer content to take directions and follow the rules on AI made by its Western counterparts. Instead, it now wants to actively participate in and even take the lead in developing international standards for AI.
In the NGAIDP, the PRC stated that it would play a bigger role in global AI governance. China looks to focus on studying major problems common to the international community, such as robot alienation and safety supervision, and improve its collaboration with other countries to develop AI laws, regulations, and international rules to” jointly cope with global challenges”.
The PRC intends to support its domestic AI businesses in their efforts to contribute to or take the lead in the development of technical standards abroad, even as they promote their AI goods and services there. The Action Plan also details how China’s education strategy affects international standards and laws.
By encouraging Chinese scholars to occupy influential positions in international academic organizations and supporting them as they actively take part in drafting international AI regulations, the PRC believes it can influence many international AI spaces with Chinese initiatives and standards.
Finally, China’s Internet Plan expressed its intention to support its relevant departments, research institutions, standardization organizations, industry organizations, and businesses in working with, among others, the International Organization for Standardization ( ISO ), to establish mechanisms for standards exchange and cooperation.
The PRC stated in full that it would continue to support the export of Chinese AI standards to the world and continue to strengthen our standing internationally. Obviously, China is going all out to rewrite the rules.
At the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Olajide Olugbade studies science and technology policy with a minor in international affairs.
His research areas include the global dynamics of emerging technologies, ethics and governance, innovation politics, and innovation ecosystems. He can be contacted at , oolugbade3@gatech .edu.