China is embarking on an ambitious initiative to establish multiple regional artificial intelligence (AI) “high zones” across the country. This strategic move will help the country increase its focus on research and development in artificial intelligence. The country also plans to develop additional technology platforms to further support its advancement in AI technology and strengthen its position as a leading player in the global AI landscape.

During the 7th World Intelligence Conference, China’s Minister of Science and Technology, Wang Zhigang, announced China’s plans to build these plateaus and technology platforms dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI). He said that by promoting the development of economic and social sectors with the support of artificial intelligence, China aims to accelerate overall economic growth and social progress. This initiative reflects the country’s strong commitment to advancing artificial intelligence technology and harnessing the potential for transformative innovation and development.

Wang emphasized that the rapid development in brain-like intelligence, quantum intelligence, big data and other key technological areas has contributed to making a significant breakthrough in advanced industries. This breakthrough is expected to lead to significant technological transformations and lead to major changes in various industries.

The World Intelligence Conference (WIC) witnessed the active participation of 117 of the world’s 500 largest companies, 369 of China’s top 500 companies, and more than 1,000 well-known unicorn technology companies, universities and institutions. This extraordinary meeting showcases cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence and metaverse, to showcase the latest advances in smart industries, smart cities, smart manufacturing and smart living.

What is China’s position in the global AI race?

As of 2022, China ranked first in the world in the number of AI patent applications. Official statistics highlight China’s leading position in key fields of artificial intelligence such as computer vision, natural language processing and voice recognition. The scale of the core industry in these areas has exceeded 500 billion yuan (US$ 71.2 billion), with more than 4,200 representative enterprises. This represents about 16 percent of the global total and reinforces China’s significant presence in the AI ​​landscape.

While OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard are unavailable due to restrictions, some leading Chinese tech companies including Baidu, Alibaba Group Holding and SenseTime have offered domestic alternatives. These local services comply with censorship rules and other regulatory requirements set by China. The emergence of these local alternatives reflects the country’s desire to develop its own AI capabilities and provide interoperable solutions to meet the needs of its users within a regulatory framework.

China sees the development of artificial intelligence (AI) as a double-edged sword, as it creates efficiencies across industries while also creating potential risks. But the government said it is taking steps to address these concerns by issuing governance and ethical guidelines for AI regulation.