Oriol Caudevilla

Opinion | China is on track to be world AI leader by 2030, with Hong Kong’s help

China’s AI market, firms and tech are growing strongly, while the regulatory climate is maturing. Hong Kong can contribute by providing AI talent and funding

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A woman stands in front of a poster during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 6 last year. Photo: AFP

Oriol Caudevilla

Published: 5:30am, 5 Jan 2024

If we are in the midst of a global race for artificial intelligence (AI) breakthroughs, China is definitely a key player. While 2023 has been a year of AI hype – especially for generative AI, amid the popularity of ChatGPT – the industry has been of interest to most countries for years and will only become more important.

According to the 2023 AI Index Report by the Stanford Institute for Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence, global investment in AI has significantly increased over the last decade. By 2022, private investment in AI had grown to 18 times greater than in 2013.

Back in 2017, China made AI a national priority, stating its ambition to become “the world’s premier artificial intelligence innovation centre” by 2030.

According to the State Council’s 2017 guidelines, AI should be used to promote China’s technology, economy and social welfare, maintain national security and contribute to the world. The guidelines also said: “AI should be applied in the public service and social management to build a safer, more comfortable and convenient society.”

Why are nations racing to achieve AI dominance? One reason is that AI is a foundational technology with the capacity to increase productivity, boost competitiveness and help solve social challenges.

So what does the AI industry in China look like? According to a recent Nikkei study, “China is the undisputed champion in artificial intelligence research papers … far surpassing the US in both quantity and quality”.