TIMES.KY

Cayman Islands, Caribbeanand International News
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

US-China tech war and secrecy over AI do neither side any good

US-China tech war and secrecy over AI do neither side any good

AI can only succeed if both tech superpowers find common ground. The US can learn from China in raising public support for AI, while China should open up to major US tech players.

The Pentagon’s first chief software officer resigned recently, citing his disappointment at the US military’s slow progress in developing artificial intelligence, among other things. Indeed, public opinion of AI in the United States is low – a 2019 survey found that 35 per cent disagree that AI will make workers better off, compared to 31 per cent who agree.

Still, the US need not declare defeat in its AI war with China – indeed, talk of a tech war is fruitless.

Both governments have invested huge sums in their emerging digital technology sectors in their aim to become global tech innovation hubs. And both countries are increasingly nationalistic over sharing AI developments.

Approaching AI with an air of secretiveness will serve neither country in the long run. Instead, China and the US must find common ground in their efforts to develop AI – they exhibit unique strengths and areas for improvement, and can learn from each other’s vastly different approaches.

In the US, research contributions to AI are unparalleled. Nearly 50 per cent of American AI researchers have over 10 years of experience in the field, compared to only 25 per cent of Chinese AI researchers, according to a study published in 2019. Big names such as Meta (formerly Facebook), Google and IBM invest heavily in AI applications, helping to keep the US at the frontiers of innovation.

The US also has a strong track record of attracting tech talent from abroad. Between 1998 and 2017, for example, the country welcomed 1,283 foreign AI academic researchers.

The US can continue to make great strides in AI development, as long as it can better show the value of AI to its citizens. It can look to China, where the government’s spearheading of AI education initiatives has led to a highly positive perceptions in the general populace.

In 2017, China laid out a national AI plan, including to introduce artificial intelligence as an academic discipline. A year later, the education ministry had a detailed five-year plan to develop 50 AI research centres, and train more than 500 teachers and 5,000 students.

Chinese firms understand that AI is revolutionising almost all aspects of consumers’ lives, while 92 per cent of businesses in the country use automation technologies or plan to in the next 12 months, according to the 2021 IBM Global AI Adoption Index.

The Chinese government has also set clear goals in its 14th five-year plan to foster its emerging digital tech sector. This tech-friendly attitude from regulators and the government, combined with businesses’ strong focus on digitalisation and innovation, allow China to remain at the forefront of new technology trends.

But Beijing’s decision to block key international players (such as Meta and Google) from its domestic market is detrimental to its global ambition of AI dominance. At the very least, China should partially open up to international competition if it wants to secure its role as a global AI powerhouse.

The Greater Bay Area, home to over 40 unicorns (start-ups with a valuation of more than US$1 billion) collectively valued at US$1.1 trillion, could be one area in which Beijing takes a step towards international collaboration.

However, for AI and machine intelligence to succeed, we must first put in place the right human guidance and ingenuity.

In my recent research with collaborators from Shanghai, Philadelphia and Hong Kong, we found that simply having a chief information officer (CIO) in a company had a profound effect on the development of its AI orientation, yet the specific role of CIOs in shaping information technology strategies remains poorly understood.

This is particularly so in emerging markets where IT leaders are not well represented in top management teams.

For example, whereas 4.6 per cent of S&P 1500 firms listed on the ExecuComp database had a formal CIO or chief technology officer, only 1.8 per cent of the 3,600 public firms listed on the China Stock Market & Accounting Research Database in 2018 had a formal CIO role. Companies based in both countries should consider restructuring to include CIO roles.

Both China and the US have made invaluable contributions to the AI field. While competition has created much stress in US-China relations, AI also offers many opportunities for collaboration. Instead of keeping each other’s contributions out of sight, both stand to gain if they adopt new approaches to AI based on each other’s experiences.

Newsletter

Related Articles

TIMES.KY
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
BBC Personalities Rebuke Accusations Amidst Scandal Involving Teen Exploitation
A Swift Disappointment: Why Is Taylor Swift Bypassing Canada on Her Global Tour?
Historic Moment: Edgars Rinkevics, EU's First Openly Gay Head of State, Takes Office as Latvia's President
Bye bye democracy, human rights, freedom: French Cops Can Now Secretly Activate Phone Cameras, Microphones And GPS To Spy On Citizens
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
Unilever Plummets in a $2.5 Billion Free Fall, to begin with: A Reckoning for Misuse of Corporate Power Against National Interest
Beyond the Blame Game: The Need for Nuanced Perspectives on America's Complex Reality
Twitter Targets Meta: A Tangle of Trade Secrets and Copycat Culture
The Double-Edged Sword of AI: AI is linked to layoffs in industry that created it
US Sanctions on China's Chip Industry Backfire, Prompting Self-Inflicted Blowback
Meta Copy Twitter with New App, Threads
The New French Revolution
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
×