As the world is getting used to generative AI tools from the West, China is struggling to get its generative AI industry started. The high-profile acquisition of AI firm Light Years Beyond by Meituan started with much fanfare but prospects of it spearheading China’s AI rise are petering out. There is no doubt that the West holds the AI lead for now, but how long will it take for China to get running and catch up?
Artificial Intelligence
Society
If languages and cultural practices are disappearing fast in the indigenous communities of Borneo to the Chinese community in Penang and elsewhere, can digital technology and AI play a bigger role to document pieces of our identity that can be preserved beyond time and space?
Cartoon
As a member of the post-2000 generation, I would say the younger generation can arrogantly claim that artificial intelligence (AI) is not unfamiliar to us, and we are the natives of virtual reality. On the contrary, it is always those stubborn "old folks" who struggle to adapt and become restless, as if they were inside the palace when Puyi wore glasses. But the true enemy of humanity is never technology. Strengthening regulations, accelerating the implementation of corresponding policies, and mitigating the existential threats brought by AI should be our top priority. Because, regardless of how things unfold, our future lives will always be tied to AI. — Bai Yi
(Created with the aid of AI, with thanks to Mathieu Borysevicz and Learning From Hangzhou, as well as other creators for visual material provided.)
Technology
China is the world’s largest industrial robot market, accounting for 51.9% of the global industry with 268,200 robots newly installed in 2021. The greatest use of industrial robots is in the electronics and electrical industry, with demand growing since the pandemic. International manufacturers have long dominated the sector, but Chinese manufacturers of industrial robots are catching up. What obstacles would they need to tackle?
Politics
In his keynote address at the Caixin Asia New Vision Forum, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said that the US and China can still step away from confrontation and conflict, and both sides must do so by building strategic trust. Meanwhile, Asia and the rest of the world must also take active steps to bring about greater collaboration. Together, countries can work to bring about a new global architecture that promotes inclusive and sustainable development. This is an edited version of his speech.
Politics
Today, China faces almost the same set of problems that the capitalist states are struggling with. In a post-capitalist world where an entire demographic degenerate into the “useless class”, capitalism will lose the market on which it depends. EAI senior research fellow Lance Gore imagines what this could mean for the Chinese Communist Party and other advocates of the socialist path.
Technology
The tech sector has seen a massive shift since the introduction of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November last year. The AI wave has brought much trepidation for its potential in advancing education, innovation and more; but along with it comes new challenges, especially those that raise copyright infringement issues or break the law. Lianhe Zaobao’s China Desk looks into how AI has been misused in China and the responses.
Technology
Since the release of ChatGPT late last year, Chinese tech companies have been rushing to release their own chatbots. But given the Chinese government’s tight grip on information and speech, how will chatbots developed by Chinese tech companies fare on the world stage?
Technology
Malaysian academic Goh Chun Sheng ponders the weighty issues thrown up by artificial intelligence, seeking a little assistance from none other than OpenAI’s ChatGPT.